Obsession
by Lenni George
Summary: A glance in to the life of Aaron Hotchner - 10 years into the future. A new wife, a new life, a new drama. AU - some spoilers for any and all CM eps. Hotch/OC. This story now complete! Thank you for hanging in while real life stalled this story!
1. Chapter 1

It was a warm Virginia Saturday afternoon, one of those days where children cool off by running through sprinklers and diving into swimming pools, while adults run for the air conditioning. Aaron Hotchner looked longingly back at the house, knowing that it had to be at least 25 degrees cooler inside, then turned his attention back to where three children were enjoying the in ground pool.

They were laughing and splashing and clearly having a great time. He debated jumping in and joining them, but decided that they more needed the time together, without his interference. His job was to sit near, just in case his life guard skills were needed.

"Daddy!" shrieked the youngest, a dark haired little girl with big chocolate brown eyes, as she climbed onto the ledge. "Daddy!"

"What is it, Olivia?" he called back.

"Watch me!" she said, and then with an excited grin, the four year old jumped off the edge and into the waiting arms of her older half brother, Jack.

Hotch smiled, as 14 year old Jack Hotchner spun her around in the water, and then set her back up on the edge to jump again. He marveled at how Jack had grown into a tall, muscular boy. Like his father at that age, he played just about every sport that he had time to play. The constant activity kept him out of trouble, Haley rationalized, when Hotch suggested that maybe, Jack was involved in too much.

"I can do it better'n her!" 7 year old Aaron Jr boasted, as he climbed up onto the ledge. "I don't need Jack to catch me."

"Be careful, AJ," Jack cautioned, using the name he'd dubbed his younger half brother with at birth.

"I'm careful, Jack," AJ sighed, as if bothered by the suggestion that he was anything but. "You watchin', Dad?"

"I'm watching, AJ," Hotch called back, watching as he assumed a diving pose, then jumped, head first into the water. He popped up a few moments later wearing a gap toothed grin. "Good job!"

"Jack," AJ said, pushing himself back onto the ledge and sitting down. "C'n you dive off the board?"

"Splash us!" Olivia excitedly said, as Jack sat her next to AJ on the ledge.

"Okay, but you need to go sit by Dad first," Jack told her, watching as her smile turned into a frown. "No pouting, Livvie. You know your mom is strict about that."

"Daddy!" Olivia whined, standing up and stamping over to him. "I won't get wet!"

Hotch looked at his daughter, knowing that he should insist that she sit next to him on the lounge chair. Instead, he smiled at her, "Come on, I'll sit on the edge with you."

"YAY!" she giggled, clapping and jumping up and down. "C'mon!" Wrapping her little hand around his index finger, she tugged his hand and led him to the edge of the pool.

"I won't get you too wet, Dad," Jack promised, walking to the diving board.

"Give it your best shot, Bud," Hotch laughed, sitting on the ledge of the pool and dangling his legs in the water. "Come on, Liv," he said, sitting Olivia on his lap. "You ready to get wet?"

"Yup," she grinned.

"What about you, AJ?" he asked.

"Ready, Daddy!" AJ cheered.

"Okay, Jack, go for it."

With an evil grin, Jack ran across the diving board and jumped up as high as he could while aiming for the side of the pool. He grabbed his knees to his chin and yelled, "Cannon ball!" just as he hit the water.

He displaced enough water to soak his father and younger siblings. As he popped back up, wiping water from his face, he said, "How was that guys?"

"Cool, Jack!" AJ grinned, clearly in awe of him.

"I all wet!" Olivia giggled, then looking up at Hotch, "So's Daddy!"

Jack swam to the side of the pool and looked up at his soaked father. "Sorry, Dad," he winced.

"Jack," Hotch said, eyeing his oldest son with a raised brow, "That was the best you could do?"

"What?" Jack asked, surprised that his father was challenging his skills.

"You heard me," Hotch replied, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Is that the best you've got?"

"Well, yeah," Jack said, not quite catching on.

"Get up here and hold your sister," he said, "And let a master show you how to do it."

Jack caught on and placing his hands on the ledge of the pool, he hoisted himself up and onto the ledge, "Come on, Livvie," he said, taking Olivia from Hotch, "Dad's gonna splash us."

"Yay!!" Olivia clapped.

Laughing, Hotch stood up and walked down to the end of the pool. Taking off his soaked t-shirt, he stepped up onto the diving board. "Get ready to get soaked," he announced, then did a perfect cannon ball off the dive, displacing twice the amount of water that Jack did. He swam under water to the ledge and popped up in front of the children. "How was that?"

"Great Daddy!" Olivia and AJ chorused.

"Jack?" he asked, studying his oldest son, who was scowling at him.

"I guess you've got skills," he allowed, then laughed, "For an old guy."

"Oh, Jack, that hurt," Hotch laughed.

"Dad," AJ said, standing up, "I'm hungry. When's dinner?"

"I can fire up the grille if you guys are hungry,"

"C'n I light it, Dad?" Jack asked.

Hotch nodded, "While I'm there, yeah. Come on, let's go get dried off and we'll make some burgers."

XXXXX

He watched her, as she got out of the car, sliding her legs out first, her denim shorts giving him a good view of the tan skin of her calves and thighs. As she stood, he felt a smile forming on his lips. The shorts were topped with a slim white tshirt and her dark hair was still in the pony tail she favored when she was working in the ER.

From that distance she looked more like a college co-ed than a trauma surgeon. As she approached, he could see the day's effects on her face. By the tired expression she wore, he could tell her last shift had not been kind.

Pulling open the door, he was hit by a blast of warm, humid air. "I was wondering when you'd get home," he said, leaning against the door frame.

Gabriela Girardi Hotchner looked up at her husband and smiled, "Four car pile up on 495. Six critical. One coded…but we brought her back…twice."

"Just another day at the job, aye?" he asked, as she made her way up the walkway.

"Just about. Guess AJ and Liv are sleeping huh?" She said, slipping her arms around him.

He nodded, kissing her. "We spent the whole afternoon in the pool."

"Jack's still up, right?"

"In his room, on the laptop, said to let him know when you got home." He led her into the cool air of the foyer and shut and locked the door behind them. "We went out to Cold Stone and he made sure I got you something."

"That's my Jack," she laughed, "Always looking out for his evil stepmom."

"He was great with AJ and Livvie. Spent the whole day playing with them and never once showed how much they'd gotten on his nerves," Hotch laughed, kissing her again, "Why don't you go up and get a shower. I'll fire the grille up again and make you a burger?"

"I'll take you up on the shower, but save the burger. We had pizza around 7." She slipped out of his embrace. "Let me go up and say goodnight to Jack and get a shower…"

He watched as she ran up the curved stairway to the second floor, finding himself fascinated by the sway of her hips. Dave Rossi constantly teased him about his reaction to his wife. Despite the fact that it had been ten years since Emily Prentiss introduced him to her friend "GiGi", he had to admit he was still hung up on her. She still had the ability to make him act like a teenage boy at times, usually at the most random times.

"Aaron?" she said, pulling him from his thoughts. "Why don't you come up and help me?"

XXXXX

Hotch watched as Gabriela sat on the bed, gloriously naked, eating the ice cream that they'd brought her from their earlier trip to Cold Stone.

After she chatted with Jack a bit, she said good night to him, then stopped in to kiss AJ and Olivia who both slept soundly. He watched as she stepped into the bedroom and closed the door, leaving "Mom" out in the hallway. With a sexy smile, she stripped off her clothes and invited him to join her in the shower.

Despite her long day, or maybe because of it, she took charge of their actions, directing their movements and finally, after they'd lathered each other with her softly scented bath gel, she pulled him close and kissed him deeply. He hadn't intended to make love to her in the shower. He thought they'd use the shower as foreplay and then dry off and return to the bedroom. Instead, he gave into her insistence, braced her against the wall and took her as the water pounded on his back.

Afterwards, they toweled off and while he stretched out on the bed, she padded down stairs in her robe to get the ice cream.

"This is perfect," she smiled, a look of bliss on her features, "I come home to a nice quiet house, a horny husband, and chocolate chip cheesecake ice cream."

Hotch raised a brow, "Come on, Gabi, a horny husband?"

"And you were something different?" she laughed, licking ice cream from the spoon.

"I'd say… a skilled and talented lover?" he smartly said.

"Uh huh, okay. I guess there was a degree of skill involved, after all, one wrong move and we would have cracked our skulls on the tile."

"And the talent part?" he prompted.

"Oh, yeah," she leaned over and kissed him, "I guess it was okay."

"Okay," he laughed, "Okay? I probably still have nail marks in my shoulders…"

Gabriela rolled her eyes, "Spare me." She placed another mouthful into her mouth. After she swallowed, she spoke, "So, Jack told me football camp starts the day after we get back from Virginia Beach."

"He was really excited after Haley called this morning. I'm surprised that he wants to go with us. After all, he's going to spend a week stuck with his family."

"He's gonna spend a week with his amazingly fun and cool step mom and his step grand mother who treats him like he's the king of the world."

"And his little sister and brother who won't let him have a minute's peace," Hotch added.

"And his Dad, who won't be allowed to as much as THINK of work all week," she smartly replied.

He fixed her with a faux glare and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Livia," began a small voice from behind the wooden door.

Hotch stood up and slipped on a pair of shorts before he walked to the door. Once Gabi had slipped on his old Georgetown t shirt, he opened the door to find Olivia standing there, holding a worn stuffed rabbit.

"I thought you were sleeping, Livvie," he said, crouching down to her level.

"The monsters woke me, Daddy," she said, bottom lip trembling. "They was under the bed."

"Livvie, what did I tell you about the monsters?" he gently reminded.

"That they aren't real," she repeated, then, "But they are."

"Come here, Liv," Gabi called, patting the bed next to her.

"Mommy!!" Olivia excitedly said, running past her father and climbing up onto the bed. She scrambled across the bed and into her mother's arms. "I missed you."

"Me, too," she said, hugging her daughter tightly and giving her a noisy kiss on the cheek. "Are those monsters back?"

She nodded, her expression grave, "Jack doesn't scare 'em like Daddy does."

"Do you want me to go scare them off again, Liv?" Hotch asked, watching as Olivia snuggled into bed next to her mother. He knew that once she did that, she wouldn't be leaving. She didn't try to join them in bed very often, but when she did try, she usually succeeded.

"I can stay here?" she asked, her eyes large and innocent. She'd already learned how to work that look and usually with the desired results. She knew she had her father wrapped around her finger, her mother, on the other hand, wasn't such an easy mark.

"For a little bit," Gabi reasoned, "But you will sleep in your room."

"Wanna sleep here," she protested, her brow furrowing.

"Olivia, what did Mommy tell you about sleeping with us?" Hotch tried.

"That you're grown ups and kids aren't s'posed to sleep with grown ups," Olivia pouted. "But…the monsters is gonna get me."

"Okay, that's it," Hotch said, walking to the closet. He opened the door, reached into his golf bag and took out his driver, "I'm going in…"

"Daddy! Don't! They gonna get mad at you!"

"Aaron," Gabi cautioned, "Be careful where you're swinging that thing…"

"I'll be back," he said, walking out of the bedroom.

"Mommy," Olivia said, eyes wide.

"Its okay, Liv. Daddy's okay…"

A few moments later, Hotch returned to the room, driver resting on his shoulder. "They're gone."

"They are?"

He nodded, slipping the driver into his golf bag, then walking to the bed, "Now, Miss Olivia Marie, it's time to go back to bed." He held out his arms. "Come on."

"Kay," she said, hugging Gabi, "Night Mommy."

"Night Livvie, see ya in the morning," she replied, kissing her daughter.

"Okay, let's go," Hotch said, scooping Olivia into his arms and tossing her over his shoulder, causing her to giggle and squeal as he carried her out of the room.

**A/N - Thank you to Susan - who has helped, cajoled, and insired me as I wrote this one!!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ami Walters sat in her Honda Accord, watching as cars pulled into the lot. He was late, well, later than normal, and she was concerned. She'd hacked into the Bureau's personnel records and knew that his vacation didn't start until next week. She watched as the rest of the BAU team walked into the building, so she knew that they hadn't been called out on a case.

Sighing, she looked at the dashboard clock. 9:04. She was going to be late, but she'd give him just another moment or two before heading in. And then, as she was about to turn off the engine, his car pulled into the lot.

She smiled, watching as he parked his dark grey BMW X5 in his marked spot. Section Chiefs got their own spot; it was one of the perks. She always made sure she arrived early enough to get a spot close to the reserved section, just so she could watch him.

There was something about the way he wore his suits that sent a chill down Ami's spine. Always immaculately dressed, always professional. Even when he dressed down, he looked good. He was a very handsome man and, if everything worked out right, soon he would be hers.

She got out of her car and hurried to the door, reaching it just as he did.

"Hello Agent Hotchner," she smiled, "Running late this morning."

"You too?" he affably asked, holding the door open for her.

"I hit all of that traffic on 619, did you?"

He shook his head and chuckled, "Unfortunately, I had to fish my daughter's toy out of the garbage disposal."

"Oh no!" Ami said, showing what she hoped was the proper amount of concern. "How did it end up there?"

"Her brother decided that it was time to teach her little plastic Elmo how to swim…" he explained. "Olivia was not pleased."

"You're a great daddy," Ami sincerely said, watching as a hint of a blush crept up his cheeks. "They're lucky to have you."

"I'm lucky to have them," he replied, walking to the elevator.

She wanted to ride upstairs with him, but her office was on the ground floor and she had no reason to go anywhere else.

"This is me," she said, "Have a great day."

"You too," he nodded, stepping into the elevator.

Ami watched while the doors shut, then with a sigh, walked into her office.

XXXXX

Hotch walked into the BAU bull pen and with a nod to the team, made his way up to his office. He wanted to get into his office and drop off his briefcase before anyone brought up the fact that he was late.

As he set his brief case on his desk, Dave Rossi walked in.

"Nice of you to join us," he began, with a wry smile.

"Family crisis," Hotch offered, removing files from the brief case, then shutting it and setting it on the floor.

Dave grew concerned, "Everybody okay?"

"Elmo's a gonner and your godson is in a lot of trouble."

"What did he do?"

"Remember that plastic Elmo thing that was on the top of Olivia's birthday cake?" Rossi's expression told him that he didn't remember it, "I didn't remember it either, but apparently, it's become one of Olivia's favorite things. She keeps it in her little pink leopard purse."

Rossi nodded, "What happened to Elmo?"

"Liv accidentally stepped on AJ's English muffin this morning, despite the fact that he was told not to leave it on the floor." He shrugged, "He didn't listen, left it in the middle of the living room floor and she danced her way on to it."

"So, AJ decided to seek retribution…"

"And Elmo met the garbage disposal."

Rossi winced, "Was he even recognizable?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Hotch's lips, "There was a hand and a foot and a lot of mangled red plastic."

"Dental records wouldn't have helped," Rossi said, with a smile of his own.

"When Liv saw him, she melted down," Hotch shook his head, "Gabi had already left for work and I had to get in here, so I had to leave poor Silvana to deal with it."

"Gabi's mom is a saint," Rossi agreed, then, "I'm sure Liv's moved on by now."

"I know," he said, tiredly, "But…"

"Hotch…"

"I know, Dave," he said, changing the subject, "We've got a budget meeting in ten minutes. Let me get a cup of coffee and I'll meet you in Strauss' office."

XXXXX

Ami stepped into the elevator, glad that she hadn't been noticed. She'd watched as most of the BAU had gone to lunch before walking in to the bull pen carrying a stack of folders that Agent Hotchner had requested along with a small white bag.

Smiling, she walked into his empty office and set the folders and the bag on his desk. She wished she could hide behind the credenza and watch as he opened the bag, knowing that it's contents would bring a smile to his face. It was a red plastic Elmo cake topper, identical to the one that little AJ had destroyed this morning.

She knew it was identical because she'd seen the pictures of Olivia's fourth birthday party and saw the cake. Ami had to go to three different bakeries before she found it, but it was worth it.

As she stepped back, she looked at the top of Aaron's desk. His coffee mug, still half full, sat to the right of the blotter, next to his black and silver Cross pen. He always used that pen. Reaching out, she took it into her hand and held it, imagining him tapping it against the blotter. She set it down on the desk and let her eyes roam to the four framed pictures.

There was a picture of Aaron and Jack, taken at a track meet. Jack held a gold medal in his hand and Aaron wore a proud smile. Next to that was a picture of AJ. It was a posed shot of him in his baseball uniform, he smiled broadly, clearly proud of his uniform. The smile was purely Aaron's smile, as was Jack's. Both boys resembled their father greatly.

The next frame held a candid shot of Olivia, wearing a Snow White costume. With her dark hair and eyes, she did resemble the Disney character and she truly was a beautiful child. It was the final frame that both excited and disgusted held her attention the longest.

It was picture of Gabriela. Professionally taken, by the looks of it, she posed, her chin resting on her hand, a knowing smile on her face. Ami stared at the picture, feeling an irrational hatred building inside of her.

One look at the picture told her there is no way her face looked like that without the aide of some of her surgeon friends. She'd heard Aaron describe her as the best thing that ever happened to him. How could that possibly be true? She had to be draining him dry, both fiscally and emotionally. How unfair was that?

Ami sighed, looking back at his half full mug, its contents growing colder by the moment, waiting for him to return. Her poor Aaron. He couldn't even enjoy a cup of coffee without that bitch, Strauss, demanding his presence.

Her eyes were pulled to the white bakery bag, wondering if he'd even open it. Maybe, she thought, she should just put Elmo onto the desk. Yes, that would be the right thing to do. As she opened the bag and reached in, she became aware that someone walked into the office. She looked up quickly to find Aaron, looking at her with surprise.

"Agent Hotchner," she said, with a smile. "I brought your files."

"Thank you," he replied, warmly.

"Oh, I think I found something that will restore order at your house," she went on, holding up the Elmo.

"Where did you find that?" he asked, walking to the desk.

"I went out to pick up a birthday cake this morning and saw it in the bakery. Is this the one she had?" she asked, knowing that it was.

"If not, it's damn close," he agreed, taking it from her outstretched hand and studying it. "Ami, you're the best. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing, Sir," she smiled back, deciding that she loved his smile and could get lost in his chocolate brown eyes. "If it makes your daughter happy, that's all that counts."

"It definitely will," he agreed.

"Great," she nodded, then, "Well, I need to get back to my desk. Enjoy."

"Thanks again, Ami," he called after her.

Ami walked out of the office, fighting the smile she felt growing within her. She didn't dare walk out of his office with a smile like that. It would call all kinds of attention to the fact that Aaron put it there. That wouldn't be good. She didn't want the world to know about them, not yet anyway. There would be plenty of time for that later.


	3. Chapter 3

He'd been totally engrossed in a case file when Gabi called, so it surprised him to discover that it was 6:30 pm. She asked him if he was in the middle of something and once he told her that he was just finalizing case files, she told him that he need to come home as soon as he could.

The tone of her voice raised his curiosity, but she wouldn't elaborate on the reason she wanted him to leave. Curious and a bit concerned, he told her he would be home by 7:30.

As he drove home, he recalled the last time she demanded that he come home. It was the day she discovered that she was pregnant with Olivia. She'd had a tubal ligation shortly after Olivia's birth, so he was fairly certain that wasn't the reason this time around.

He replayed their last few conversations over in his head, wondering if she was pissed at him for something, but couldn't find any clues.

The first thing he noticed, upon entering the house was that it was unusually quiet. He recalled that AJ had left that morning to spend a long weekend in Williamsburg with his best friend's family, but even if AJ was gone, Olivia would have more than made up for his absence. He swore the child did not have an off switch. She would prattle on and on, sing made up songs, and generally talk your ear off until she finally crashed from exhaustion at 8 pm.

He listened again, no, there was no Olivia. Now, he really was concerned. "Gabi?" he called, dropping his briefcase in the foyer.

"You look all kinds of worried," Gabi smiled, walking down the stairs in her black bathing suit with some sort of bright pink wrap around her waist.

"You demanded that I come home, but wouldn't give me a reason," he replied, feeling a smile forming. "And, unless you have her bound and gagged in a closet, Olivia isn't here."

"She's not," Gabi confirmed, reaching the bottom step, "She went home with my mom."

Hotch raised a brow, "Silvana hasn't had enough of her?"

"Well, when I got home from work, Mama reminded me of what today was," she smiled, loosening his tie and unknotting it. "I'd totally forgotten and I'm sure you have too."

He thought for a moment and came up empty, "I'm probably going to pay for this, aren't I?" he laughed.

She shook her head, as she pulled off his tie, "No, like I said, I forgot too."

He watched as she unbuttoned his shirt, "Are you going to tell me?"

"Eight years ago today we moved into this house," she smiled.

He smiled with her, "I remember now. You were pregnant with AJ…"

"I wanted to cook you a big dinner…"

"But you were exhausted, so I talked you into ordering pizza," he recalled, pulling her into his arms.

"And we ate out back on the deck," she slipped her arms around him, "And then, we went swimming."

He felt himself responding to the memory of the rest of their night and kissed her softly, "And we christened the pool furniture…"

"And the deck…"

"And the new bed…" he chuckled. "You were kind of insatiable during that part of your pregnancy, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was," she laughed, slipping from his arms, "Anyway, go upstairs, put on your swim trunks and meet me by the pool. The pizza just got here...the beer's ice cold…" she untied the wrap and allowed it to fall from her waist, "And I think I'm starting to feel a bit…insatiable?"

XXXXX

Ami leaned against the tree, secure in the knowledge that she was out of sight. A short while ago, she'd discovered that she could park a couple of blocks away and then cut through the woods that ran behind the house. From her spot in the dense grove of trees, she had a perfect view of the back yard and the pool.

So far, she'd been content to stand in the distance and watch as Aaron played with the children. She couldn't hear all of their conversation, but it was okay. The kids very rarely said anything important. She could hear Aaron's rich baritone and that was enough for her.

Tonight, however, was different. Tonight, she brought her camera. The mental photos weren't enough for her any more. She needed something more tangible, something she could hold, look at, and possess.

She'd followed him home, hoping to get some shots of the house. Maybe catch a few of him standing in the kitchen – wearing only his boxers – something she'd seen him do late at night – after the kids went to sleep.

Tonight, she was happy to discover, the kids weren't home. It was just the two of them, her Aaron and that woman - Gabriela. Ami wasn't quite sure what Aaron saw in her. What was it that he found attractive? Why would he want a woman like that?

Ami put Gabriela at around 5'9", maybe 135? Sure, she had a big chest, but she didn't have the tight, firm stomach that Ami did. This woman didn't spend the time at the gym and it was obvious. To make it worse, Gabriela was one of those women who always looked tan. It could have been her natural skin tone, but Ami was sure she had to spend some time at the tanning salon. And then there was the hair…dark, with blond highlights, who did that anymore? She was sure it was done to cover the gray, Ami was proud of her hair; long, silky light brown, with not a strand of gray.

Hearing Aaron's laugher, Ami was pulled from her thoughts and directed her attention to the pool. They bobbed in the water, wrapped in each other's arms, kissing and talking. Her usual position just wouldn't work tonight. Although she'd spent a lot of money on the telephoto lens and could get a really decent close up picture, no matter how hard Ami strained, she couldn't hear what they were saying and inched closer and closer until she was a mere 10 feet from the edge of the stone patio around the pool. Finally, she could hear them and it did not make her happy.

XXXXX

"I think," Hotch said, untying the strap of Gabriela's halter top suit, "It's time to lose the swim suit."

She pulled back and allowed the black material to fall to her waist. He slipped the suit down from her hips and off of her legs, then threw it onto the deck.

"Your turn," she said, diving under the water and pulling his suit down and off. She popped up out of the water, holding his trunks in her hand and threw them up onto the deck next to her suit. "Remember," she said, as he pulled her into his arms, "We can't do it in here…"

"I know, Doc, I know, too much bacteria in the water," he said, his lips brushing hers. She'd wrapped her legs around his waist and he could feel her heat just barely an inch above him. "Gabi…" he said, kissing her deeply as he pulled her down, wanting more than anything to slip inside of her. It amazed him that after 10 years together, she could still provoke such a strong desire in him.

"Up on the deck," she murmured, her lips capturing his in a kiss.

Breaking it off, he walked them to the steps.

"You are not carrying me out of the pool."

"Yes I am," he replied, between kisses, as he walked up the three steps to the pool deck.

"Aaron, you're going to hurt yourself!" she laughed, as he carried her to the closest lounge chair.

"I'm fine," he said, depositing her onto the chair, "If I remember right, this was the first lounge chair we christened?"

She smiled up at him, "Yeah, it was. Think you still have the stamina to relive that whole night?"

Leaning over her, he kissed her deeply, then pulled back, "I think I'm gonna try…" he replied, running his finger along the neatly trimmed patch of dark hair and down to the soft pink folds of skin between her legs.

Watching as color flared in her cheeks and her breathing grew more labored he gave her a triumphant smile. "But the question is, do _you_ still have the stamina to relive that whole night?" he asked, his fingers slowly moving along the slick pinkness, watching as a smile formed on her lips. "Does that feel good?"

"Mm hm," she said, separating her legs to give him better access. "You know it does…"

"I think I can make you feel even better," he smiled, bending to claim her mouth, tongues tangling in a battle of wills before he pulled away, kissing a trail down her throat, to her chest, along her stomach and finally, replacing his fingers with his tongue.

XXXXX

From her vantage point in the trees, Ami watched. She snapped a few pictures of them, although she wasn't quite sure why. It was all she could do not to scream out. What was he doing? Why was he debasing himself like that? She could not believe that this woman…this creature…would expect him to cater to her like that. He was the man, he was to be treated like a king and his pleasure should be her pleasure, not the other way around.

When he was hers, Ami decided, she would treat him the way he deserved to be treated; she would lavish her attention on him for hours and make him know that he was the most important thing in her world.

XXXXX

Gabi gave out a low moan when his tongue made its first trip across her swollen sex.

"Is this better?" he asked, looking up at her.

He watched her hips rising towards him, as if moving on their own. "Stop teasing me," she commanded, looking him dead in the eye. "Remember, paybacks are a bitch."

With a deep throated chuckle, he returned to his previous chore. She sank her hands into his dark hair, massaging his scalp in encouragement. He pressed on, working her steadily, deftly, bringing her desperately close to her peak.

"Aaron…I'm so close…" she gasped, pulling at him, "Please…I need you…"

He knew she wanted him to make love to her, but he wouldn't let up and drove her on, finally pushing her over the edge, causing her to cry out.

Pulling back, he watched as she arched her back, her body shuddering, before collapsing to the floral patterned cushion of the lounge chair.

He waited, giving her a moment to come down and then, she opened her eyes, locking them on his.

"Come 'ere," she said, her voice husky, as she took him into her hand and caressed him. "Do you want me, Aaron?"

"Yes," he choked out, his mind refusing to come up with anything more intelligent.

Still holding him in her hand, she gently guided him between her slick pink folds and he slid in easily. She was warm and wet and ready for him, as he made love to her slowly, almost teasingly. "You feel so good…" he said, lips brushing hers.

Kissing him roughly she commanded, "Harder…"

He was more than read to give in to her request and drove into her with more force. Each thrust brought a sound from her lips. Her hands gripped his arms, nails digging into his biceps, bringing a delicious sort of pain.

"Oh, God," she gasped. "That's it." She gripped his arms tighter has his thrusts grew deeper and stronger. "Don't stop…"

Feeling her body begin to tense again, he knew she was near her end and allowed himself to let go and follow her. He finished with a groan and collapsed on top of her.

XXXXX

Ami was confused, her emotions were swirling. She was angry. At Aaron, for allowing this woman to take charge of his body in such a wanton way, at "Her" for the possessive way she had touched him and was still touching him, as they lay, his head on her chest, her legs wrapped around him, while her hand traced a lazy pattern on his back.

And yet, she was excited, terribly excited. It was her first long look at his naked body and she was pleased with what she saw. She'd always known that beneath the well cut suits, he had to be fine and she was not disappointed.

She was also a bit unsatisfied. She'd imagined him as her lover many times. And each time it was gentle, slow, and tender. He was a caring, loving man and she knew that when he was finally hers and they were alone, that it would be just what she'd imagined.

XXXXX

Hotch lay stretched out on the lounge chair, looking up at the stars. Hearing the sliding door open and close, he turned to watch Gabi padding, naked, across the deck, with two bottles of beer in her hands.

"A naked beer wench," he remarked, "My favorite kind."

"Very funny," she replied, setting the cold bottle in the middle of his chest.

He jumped as the cold glass hit his skin, "Damn!" he laughed, taking the bottle and sitting up.

"Aw, did I startle you?" she smiled, standing in front of him and taking a long drink of her beer.

"I don't know," he said, holding his bottle against the warm skin of her inner thigh, causing her to yelp. "How did that feel?"

"Okay, okay," she said, as he pulled the bottle away from her leg and took a drink. "So," she began, sitting at the end of the lounge chair.

"So," he returned, leaning forward and kissing the tip of her nose, "This was a good idea. We owe your mother one."

"Well," she smiled, "I don't think Mama quite had all of this in mind, but I appreciate the sentiment. It was nice to relive our first night in the house."

"We're not done yet," he said, taking her beer bottle and setting it, along with his, on the small table near the lounge chair.

"Well, I don't know," she slyly returned, "We've had our pizza…we made out in the pool…we had sex on the lounge chair…"

He pulled her into his arms, "If I remember properly," he said, with a kiss, "The night didn't end there."

"It didn't," she agreed, "But, I'm not so sure I want to do the whole deck thing…"

"Yeah, it was a bit hard on my back," he agreed. "We could skip it and move to the bed?"

"Oh, no," she said, pushing him back onto the chair and kneeling between his legs, "We have one more time out here before that happens."

"So, what do you suggest?" he smiled, as she leaned over him, her tongue snaking out to give him a teasing stroke, while her hair fell in a dark curtain around her, brushing the skin of his stomach and thighs. After a few more teasing strokes of her tongue, she wrapped her lips around him and slowly took his length into her mouth. "You are so damn good at this…" he moaned, as she worked him slowly.

XXXXX

Ami was growing tired. Standing in the woods was taking its toll on her, but she refused to leave. She stayed, rooted in her spot, watching as Aaron and "that woman" sipped their cold beer.

Her camera was trained to his naked form, taking picture after picture, as they talked and teased and his body responded with a display that would make any man proud.

What she wouldn't give to be sitting with him, although, she wouldn't be outside. No, sex was to be quiet, intimate, tender, and take place in the bedroom.

She watched, her anger returning, as "She" knelt between Aaron's legs and took him into her mouth. Finally, this woman was treating him the way he deserved to be treated. He lay back, his dark eyes heavy with desire, his lips loosely parted, watching "her" as she worked him.

Ami found herself steadily watching his face, committing his expressions to film with her Nikon. Imagining that she was provoking those responses, losing herself in the fantasy, until he called out "her' name.

"Gabi…" he said.

She looked up at him, with an evil smile, then slowly, torturously, pulled back. His eyes flew open wide with shock, and then they crinkled into a smile as she stood up and eased herself down onto him.

Ami felt her blood racing. How dare this woman try to dominate him again? He had to be humoring her, going along with her, allowing her to use him. He was such a good man, he wouldn't dream to push her off or better yet, demand the respect that he deserved.

Once again, they were not tender, they were not gentle. They were not, in Ami's opinion, making love. They were raw, they were graphic, they were anything but tender and loving. What she was watching was nothing better than pornography. She could not imagine that this was truly what he wanted. That he was enjoying it.

And yet, he seemed to be. Because, as she writhed on top of him, Aaron's body tensed and his eyes began to glaze.

"Come on, Baby," "she" encouraged him, filling his head with her voice. "Let yourself go."

"Not until you do," he gruffly returned, but this woman would not be swayed.

"Is that what you want?" she purred, rocking her hips against him. "Does this feel good?"

"It does," he replied, clearly not wanting her to force him into this act.

"How good?" she asked.

Ami wanted to scream at her, to run to them and tear this woman off of him and tell him that she would never put him through anything like that. Ami's eyes narrowed as hatred coursed through her veins. It took everything she had to stand still.

Her heart ached for him, for what this woman was doing to him, for what she was forcing him to do. Tears welled in her eyes and almost blinded her as hatred turned to sorrow for him.

"How good?" she repeated, staring down at him.

"So fucking good," he growled, his fingers gripping her waist tightly and controlling her movement. "You feel so fucking good…"

Throwing back her head, "She" gave an evil laugh as she rode him harder.

"That's it, Baby," he commanded, his voice raw with desire, "Fuck me just like that…"

Ami's eyes grew wide. This was not at all what she imagined. This was not language that Aaron would use. She knew better, she'd talked to him countless times. She'd seen him happy, seen him upset, seen him addressing classes at the academy and even relaxed and hanging with Dave Rossi, joking and being a guy. And never, had he ever used language like this.

Apparently, this was something that "She" liked and even encouraged because shortly after he said it, she convulsed and cried out, her nails digging into his upper arms. He followed a moment later, with a deep, guttural moan.

She watched as they sat, expecting him to throw her off, to walk away from her, but instead, he kissed her shoulder and laughed. They were talking, the soft, intimate talk shared by lovers.

Ami felt as if she would faint. She was drained and her stomach churned. She needed to sit down. As she leaned back to rest against the tree, her foot found a twig and, with a resounding "snap", broke it in half.

XXXXX

"Oh God," Gabi laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Did I ever tell you what an amazingly foul mouth you have?"

Hotch laughed, kissing her shoulder, "Only when I remember to use it."

"I don't think I could take it if you did it every time," she said, pulling back and looking at him.

He felt strangely uncomfortable in her gaze, "What are you looking at?"

She smiled back at him, "The most amazing man I've ever met."

"You're still basking in the after glow," he teased, running his fingertips down her spine and feeling goose bumps rise behind them.

She shook her head, "This is going to sound so sappy, but you have no idea just how happy you make me…"

"Based on your response a few moments ago, I have some idea," he slyly said.

"I'm not talking about sex," she protested, "Although, you do really make me happy there, too."

As he opened his mouth to speak, they heard a sharp crack coming from the trees behind the pool.

"What was that?" Gabi asked, eyes wide.

XXXXX

Ami stood stone still, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest, the sound of her blood rushing in her ears. As much as she wanted to break up their little tryst, this was not the time. And it would not do her well to be caught lurking in the trees outside of the BAU Section Chief's house, taking pictures as he had sex with his wife.

Although, she rationalized, if she exposed this woman for the evil whore that she revealed herself to be, maybe, the Bureau would be grateful. After all, this woman was hell bent on destroying a strong, brave man and if Ami could save him from that, she would surely earn some sort of commendation. She had the pictures to prove it and if things didn't change, she would make sure that the world knew just what this evil woman did to Ami's Aaron.

XXXXX

"Probably a skunk," he rationalized, kissing her.

"Oh, great, just what I want to see," she sniffed, standing up and dismounting him as if he were a motorcycle. She held out her hand, "Come on, let's take this inside, okay?"

"You're scared of a little skunk?" he teased, taking her hand and standing.

"No, but I do wanna lay down for a bit…" she said, leading him to the door. "Before the next round."

"Tired you out, did I?" he teased, following her into the house.

XXXXX

Ami watched as they shut the door behind them. After a moment, they turned out the pool lights, plunging the woods into near darkness. She stood for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness and willing herself to calm down.

As she took slow, deep breaths, she decided that she could not allow that woman to continue to treat Aaron like that. She would have to come up with a plan to help him break the spell "She" held over him and finally break free from the hell he was living in.

And then, once he was free, he would be hers. She would treat him right, she would restore him to the strong, commanding man he should be, she would show him what it was like to be with a woman who loved you and wanted only to make you happy. And then, everything would be right with the world.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning dawned bright and clear with a forecast for a high of 89 with sunny skies. The perfect weather for a Labor Day weekend barbeque.

Ami Walters woke early, showered, and changed her outfit four times before settling on a pair of dark denim shorts and a white tank top with a US flag design. The outfit was appropriate, yet sexy. She pulled her brown hair up in a high pony tail and put on just a bit of make up. She knew he'd like her like that and above all else, she wanted to please him.

It was Tuesday when Aaron invited her to the barbeque. She'd brought him some files that he'd requested and when she walked into his office, he'd been discussing the barbeque with Penelope Garcia.

Ami gave him credit; he made the invitation sound casual, almost off hand. She knew he wanted to invite her, but he couldn't make it obvious. People would get curious. He smiled when she said she'd come. He told her he looked forward to seeing her and wrote down the address. As if she'd need it.

She did her best to no be the first to arrive, but it was hard to wait. She parked just far enough down the block to be out of site from the house, but close enough to see company arrive. After a long hour, and five cars arriving, she drove to the house and walked in.

The house was just as she pictured it. Two story foyer with large sweeping staircase, beautiful classic dark wood furniture, neat, but with touches that let you know that a real family lived there. There was a toy chest in the corner of the living room, with a Disney Princess table and chair set. The refrigerator in the kitchen was covered in drawings, paintings, and family pictures.

When he opened the door, in a dark blue golf shirt and khaki shorts, she felt her knees go weak. He gave her a broad smile and welcomed her into the house. As he escorted her in, little Olivia ran into the foyer and stopped at her father's side, giving Ami a shy smile.

Ami's heart melted when Aaron had Olivia introduce herself. She had her father's dark brown eyes and smile and was very clearly the apple of her father's eye. Little AJ walked in a few moments later, wearing a golf shirt and shorts just like his daddy. Ami watched the three of them interact, deciding they were the perfect family, looking as if they fell from a J Crew ad. They were the family she was meant to have.

Her bubble of happiness burst when "She" walked into the foyer. Aaron introduced Ami to "his wife", who warmly welcomed her to their home and offered her a glass of iced tea. She was so pretty, so nice, so welcoming, and she had Aaron's arm around her shoulder as they talked. Ami's hatred for Gabriela Hotchner grew with each passing moment.

They escorted Ami out to the back yard and introduced her to the rest of the guests, before going off to greet other guests. Ami gravitated to a group of nurses from the ER and managed to pass the time until she could catch another glimpse of Aaron.

XXXXX

Ami was surprised to find herself enjoying the day. The group from the hospital was really friendly and made her feel a part of their crowd. The BAU team not so much. They were, she knew, their own tight knit little group. And they extended a hand here and there, but it was pretty much sink or swim with them. Unfortunately, Ami wasn't the strongest swimmer.

Yet, she reminded herself, it didn't much matter. She was content to be near her Aaron and watch him as he entertained his guests and played with his children.

Ami enjoyed watching them as well. Jack, who looked like a younger version of his dad, played with Olivia, AJ, and Henry LaMontaigne. He admitted to her at one point that his dad was giving him $20 to keep an eye on the kids during the party, but that he'd do it anyway, because AJ and Liv were his brother and sister and it was his job.

Pulling her attention from the kids, she realized that Aaron must have gone inside. This might be her chance to steal a moment alone with him, she decided, and excused herself to go into the bathroom.

XXXXX

Hotch walked into the air conditioned coolness of the kitchen and quietly closed the sliding glass door behind him. He smiled, when he found Gabi bent over, reaching into the refrigerator. She'd worn a pair of white denim shorts and a black halter top. He really liked those shorts, especially the way they clung to her ass and as he watched her dress that morning, he told her so.

"Stop staring at my ass, Aaron" she said, without looking up.

"How'd you know it was me?" he laughed, as she stood up and set a container on the counter.

"After 10 years? I know," she smartly returned, taking deviled eggs from the container and placing them on a serving dish.

"Why are you putting more eggs out?" he asked, stepping closer. "I shut down the grille and you've got 11 different cakes, pies and deserts ready to come out."

"Because I don't want them left over."

"Jack's here til Tuesday, he'll eat them."

"I guess you have a point," she sighed, "I thought you weren't going to let me become Stepford Hostess."

He pulled her into his arms, "You're not, you're just trying to over feed everybody." He ran his hands along her back.

"What are you doing?" Gabi laughed.

"I am having a private moment with my wife," he smartly returned, kissing her softly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Only that we have twenty people sitting outside," she countered, returning the kiss.

"Which is why I'm in here having a private moment."

"I need to put the eggs away…" she said between kisses.

"You need to kiss me."

She giggled at his expression, it was a cross between annoyance, mirth, and desire and it was very, very cute. "What has you so wound up?"

"I was fine until I walked in here and saw you bent over…" he kissed the side of her neck, "In those shorts, knowing that you're wearing that sexy little lacy thing underneath." He pulled back and gave her a faux glare, "You knew just what you were doing when you showed me it this morning, didn't you?"

"Come on, Aaron," she winked, "I've got to have my fun somehow."

"Wait until everyone leaves," he said with a leer, "Then I'll have my fun."

Gabi leaned in close and smiled at him, "I can't wait."

He pulled her close, kissed her passionately, and did not hear the sliding glass door open.

XXXXX

Ami slid the door open slowly and walked into the kitchen. It was nice and cool and she took a moment to enjoy it. As she did, she became aware that someone else was in the kitchen.

It was Aaron and Gabriela and they were wrapped in each others' arms. Ami forced down nausea as "her Aaron" was putting the moves on "her." Jealousy overtook her and she forced back the urge to run to them and tear them apart.

Instead, she stood, rooted in her spot. Thinking quickly, she closed the door with a little more force than necessary so it made a noise. Watching as they stepped apart, she put on an embarrassed smile and said, "Oh, I am so sorry to interrupt."

Stepping out of his embrace, Gabriela smiled, "Don't worry about it, Ami. You're fine. Can I get you something?"

"I think I got bit by something…do you have any Benadryl cream?" Ami said, thinking quickly.

"Should be some in the drawer, "Hotch said, pulling open and drawer and going through it.

Gabriela shook her head, "I took it upstairs last week when AJ got poison ivy. It's in the upstairs bathroom, Ami. I'll run up and grab it."

"No, please, Dr. Hotchner, you're busy with your guests. I can run up and get it. Just tell me where to look."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I don't want to put you out…now, where am I looking?"

"Bathroom at the top of the stairs," Gabriela explained, motioning towards the staircase, "There's a set of shelves near the window and on the top shelf is a basket. It should be in there."

"Great, thank you!" she smiled, looking at the table where an array of pies, cakes, and brownies sat. "Oh, desert looks amazing."

"I'm trying to talk her into putting it out," Hotch said, pulling the saran wrap off of a tray of brownies and taking a small piece.

"Stop!" Gabriela laughed, swatting at his hand, "Let's go clean up the rest of the food and we'll take them out."

"I'll be down in a moment and I'll help you," Ami offered, hoping her disgust wasn't showing.

"Just come back down before this one eats all of the brownies," she laughed, following Aaron to the door.

"I'll be right out," Ami winked, then headed into the house.

She walked up stairs and stood at the top of the stairs. To the right were two rooms, one appeared to be an office and the other was a bedroom. Looking in, she spotted skateboarding posters, Wahshington Redskins memorabilia and Georgetown University memorabilia. She surmised that it was Jack's room as it was a bit too mature for a 7 year old.

She bypassed the hallway bathroom, instead walking towards the master bedroom and passed two more rooms. The first, she decided, was AJ's. It was decorated with pennants of Major League Baseball teams as well as a healthy amount of Georgetown University memorabilia.

Next to AJ's room was Olivia's room. It was exactly what Ami would envision a 4 year old little girl's room should look like. Done in pinks and purples with a Disney Princess theme, it was all ruffles, sparkles, and frills. Ami took a moment to imagine Aaron sitting at the small table with Olivia having a tea party. She knew he would do something like that, she could picture it vividly.

Pulling herself from her fantasy, she made her way to the master bedroom. Gazing around she took in the king sized four poster bed done in a cherry wood. The rest of the furniture matched the bed perfectly. The walls were a soft beige color with a wallpaper border pulling shades of reds, greens, and blues. The bed covers were in shades of reds and beige and the plush carpet was a dark beige color.

It was all very neat, as if purposely done for company and Ami wondered if their room always looked like this. To the one side were floor to ceiling windowed doors that lead out onto a small balcony, to the other was the large dresser and the door to what she supposed was the master bath.

Just like the walls throughout the rest of the house, the bedroom walls were covered with framed pictures of the children, of people Ami guessed were family and of Aaron and Gabriela.

One of the portraits on the far wall was their wedding portrait. She stepped to it and studied it carefully. Earlier in the day, she'd heard the story of their wedding. It was a simple affair on the beach of Hilton Head Island at the home of a good friend of both Ambassador Prentiss and Gabriela's late father.

In the portrait, Aaron and Gabriela stood near the surf. She wore a simple white silk sheath gown with a halter top. Her dark hair was pulled up with some sort of sparkly clip. Aaron wore a navy blue blazer, paired with khaki pants and a white button front shirt. He wore no tie and the top buttons of the shirt were unbuttoned. Both of them were barefoot as they stood in the sand.

He looked relaxed and happy, with a broad smile on his face. His dark hair looked nearly styling product free and an errant lock dipped across his forehead. They held each other tastefully, but there was an undercurrent of possessive sexuality to the shot.

On the wall next to the formal portrait was a framed shot of the two of them and Jack. He was about AJ's age in the shot and dressed in an outfit identical to Aaron's. Jack stood between them, holding both of their hands, as they lifted him and swung him. All three of them were laughing and happy.

Ami fought nausea as she looked at the picture of the three of them. How dare Gabriela have the life that Ami should have? Pulling her eyes from the picture, she gazed around the room, taking in details, committing it to memory.

She could picture him, lying across the bed, sleeping peacefully beneath the maroon and beige comforter on a lazy Saturday morning. She pictured the kids, jumping onto the bed to wake him. She pictured herself, lying in bed next to him, as they laughed and talked to the kids.

Ami's heart ached with the feeling that this should all be hers. She knew he liked her; she'd caught him looking at her a couple of times during the day. He would turn away, shyly, cautiously when she caught his eye. It was cute, sweet, and sexy. And if only she could get him alone, she knew he'd tell her how he really felt.

Ami stepped to the dresser and looked at the items arranged on top of it. To the left were Gabriela's things, a silver hairbrush and mirror set, perfume bottles and a jewelry box. To the right were Aarons, a small wooden box, with a brass plate bearing his initials on top, a pair of glasses, and a bottle of cologne. She lifted the bottle and took a sniff, allowing the scent of his cologne to fill her nostrils.

She loved the scent and had purchased a bottle of it herself. She wore it when she wasn't at work, it reminded her of him. Setting the bottle down, she opened the wooden box. She studied the contents, finding three pairs of cufflinks, a few tie tacks, and his school ring from Georgetown.

She smiled, finding it amazingly hot that he still had cufflinks and tie tacks. It was something old fashioned, yet classic and it fit him perfectly. She ran her fingers over the tie tacks, stopping when she reached the silver and sapphire pair. They were sparkly and beautiful and she felt they'd look perfect on him.

She took them out of the box, holding them in her hand, picturing him wearing them in one of his immaculate white shirts and a dark suit. She could see him standing in front of the mirror, fastening them into his cuffs, while she sat on the bed and watched. The picture was so vivid and the cufflinks felt so good in her hands that, without thinking, she slipped them into her pocket. It gave her a delicious thrill, a mix of danger and excitement.

Closing the box quickly, she walked to the closet and looked in. It was a huge, walk in closet and again, Gabriela's things were to the left, Aaron's to the right. She walked in, running her hand along the row of dress shirts, pressing her face to one of the blazers that hung in a neat row.

On the floor were rows of shoes, all lined up neatly. The whole closet was very neat, too neat, she decided, wondering if Gabriela had spent hours tidying the house for this party. As she gazed at the rows of shoes, she noticed a bright red gift bag on the floor on Aaron's side.

Curiosity over took her and she looked inside, finding tissue paper and a small lingerie hanger. Digging around in the tissue, she found a note card and pulled it out. Opening it, she read the neat script, "A, I saw this and thought you'd like it. I'll be wearing it during the barbeque today…and you can show me how much you like it tonight. Love, G."

Ami's eyes narrowed. What was this woman doing? Was that all she thought of? This must be what she used to control him. Sex could be a powerful weapon, Ami's mother always told her that, and Gabriela was definitely using it on her poor Aaron.

With a sense of disgust, Ami placed the note back in the bag and set the bag back where she found it. She made her way out of the closet and was on her way out of the bedroom when the blonde who'd arrived on David Rossi's arms walked into the room. Ami thought her name was Susan, but she couldn't remember.

"Hello," the blonde said, sounding quite surprised. "Are you looking for something?"

Who was this woman to act as if she owned the room? "I think I got lost," Ami laughed. "I was looking for the bathroom."

"Oh, Darling," she went on, in her soft southern accent, "That's right at the top of the stairs."

"Silly me!" Ami feigned a blush. "I guess I just got all turned around!"

"Is everything okay?"

"Fine, thanks for helping me find my way!" Ami quickly said, walking past the blonde and out to the bathroom.

Once she got into the bathroom, she pulled the door shut and released the breath she'd been holding. That was close. Another minute or two sooner and that woman would have seen her in the closet. She was a friend of Gabriela's, that much Ami knew. She knew she would go right down and tell Gabriela that Ami was poking around and that just would not have been good.

No, Ami didn't want Gabriela to know anything about her relationship with Aaron. Not yet, anyway. Someday, she would tell her everything. Someday, she would make it known. Someday, all of this would be hers. It was just a matter of time.


	5. Chapter 5

Ami couldn't believe her luck. She just happened to overhear that the BAU jet would be landing at 7 pm that evening. She'd known the team was in Tampa, investigating a string of child murders. She'd heard Penelope Garcia talking about how gruesome this case was and how the week they'd spent in Tampa had taken a toll on the entire team.

She drove to the airfield, hoping to catch the team as they deplaned, to watch them as they walked to their cars, saying goodbye until morning. Aaron always paused before driving away, taking the time to call home. Ami knew this and tonight, she planned to take advantage of it.

Tonight, she would be waiting in her car, the car she'd carefully drained the radiator fluid out of, and would ask him to help her and to take her home. She'd get him to come inside and then, they'd be alone, away from the prying eyes of the outside world. She'd talk to him, tell him how she felt about him and then, he'd admit his feelings for her.

She could see it in her mind's eye...she'd lived it in her daydreams, and her night dreams as well. He would take her in his arms and kiss her softly. Asking her why she waited so long to tell him how she felt, telling her he'd felt the same way too.

Always a perfect gentleman, he would ask her permission with his eyes, and she would nod her approval, then he would carry her to her bedroom and spend the night making passionate love to her.

The sound of a car coming up the drive pulled Ami from her fantasy. She looked over to find a burgundy BMW 328xi wagon parking in the front row closest to the runway. She knew that car. It belonged to Gabriela Hotchner.

Alarm set in. What was "she" doing here? Looking around quickly, Ami realized she didn't see Aaron's X3 parked in the lot. How had she missed that? Oh, this was not acceptable at all. Ami could have sworn that she'd seen Aaron drive off in his car when the team left for Tampa, but it wasn't here.

AJ's excited voice pulled her from her mental tirade. "There's the plane!!!" he cheered, running to the fence that blocked off the runway. "Come on, Liv! There's Daddy."

"That's his plane?" she asked, running to catch up to her brother.

"That's it…." he nodded.

"Spencer's there too?"

AJ nodded, and then looked at "her". "Right, Mom?"

"Yup, Spencer's there too," she agreed. "And Uncle Dave and Aunt Emily."

"And Morgan!!!" Olivia clapped. "I love Morgan."

"All the ladies do," Gabriela laughed, causing Ami to cringe.

XXXXX

Aaron Hotchner studied the faces of his team as they prepared to step off of the plane. This case had taken a toll on all of them. The cases involving children usually did. He was grateful that they flew home tonight instead of waiting until morning. This way, they could have a night to decompress and return with clearer heads in the morning.

As soon as the wheels hit the tarmac, JJ was on the phone to Henry, telling him that she'd be home in half an hour. Dave called his girlfriend, Susan, to say he was on his way as Morgan sent a text. Hotch knew it was to Garcia, they'd tried for years to deny their relationship and it was the worst kept secret in Quantico.

Emily and Reid were still alone and he thought about inviting them home, but knew they'd both turn him down. Since his car was at the dealer for service, he thought about using subterfuge and asking one of them to drive him home, but Dave's offer on the flight home took care of that idea.

"You ready, Hotch?" Dave asked, as the pilot opened the door.

"You in a hurry to get home, Dave?" he laughed.

"I haven't seen Susie in a week," he said, "What do you think?"

"Damn, Rossi," Morgan teased, "You'd think you'd never gone more than seven days without a woman before."

"Not "a" woman, Derek, "my" woman. There is a difference," Rossi corrected.

"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick," Emily winced, "You're worse than Hotch and GiGi."

"Wait a minute," Hotch laughed, as they walked down the steps to the tarmac. "We are not anything like those two."

"Oh no?" she laughed, as they walked towards the parking lot. "You're worse…"

Hotch opened his mouth to reply, but a chorus of "Daddy" interrupted him.

"Look who it is," Reid smiled, truly glad to see the children.

Hotch quickened his step and in less than a minute held his children in his arms.

"Daddy!" Olivia nearly squealed, "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Livvie," he said, squeezing her tight.

"Me, too, Dad?" AJ asked, brows knitted with concern.

"Of course, Sport, I missed you too!" he replied, giving him a squeeze as well.

"Me too?" Gabi asked, stepping closer.

"Yeah," he replied with a sloe smile, "You too."

She leaned in and kissed him, pulling back slightly she said, "Welcome home, Agent Sexy."

He laughed, hoping no one else on the team heard her. "I'll get you for that one later."

"I'm sure you will."

"Daddy, I wanna see Spencer and Morgan," Olivia said, squirming in his arms.

"An' I wanna see Aunt Emily!" AJ insisted.

Hotch set them both down and watched as they ran to say hello to the rest of the team.

"I thought you weren't coming to pick me up," he quietly said, slipping an arm around Gabi's shoulders.

"After what you told me about this case, I figured you'd want to see them sooner rather than later," she knowingly said.

He kissed her softly, "Good move, Doc."

"You can thank me when we get home."

XXXXX

Hotch walked down stairs and into the kitchen to find Gabi standing at the counter packing AJ's lunch box for the next day.

He walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her.

"Hey you," she said, leaning against him, "Did you get them to bed?"

"Yeah, AJ came in and helped me read to Liv," he said, nuzzling her neck. "He said he didn't need a story. He was tired and just wanted to get some sleep."

"He's sounding more and more like you every day," she smiled, turning to face him. "You look exhausted."

"I am," he admitted.

"Hold on a minute," she winked, slipping the sandwich into a baggie, and then placing it into the lunch box. "Let me stick this in the fridge…." She did so, turning to him and holding out her hand. "Come on…"

"Where are you taking me?" he asked, taking her hand and letting her lead him out of the kitchen.

She walked him to the sofa, "Take off your shirt."

"Excuse me?"

"Take off your shirt and lay down," she commanded, "Let me work on those muscles…you'll never be able to fall asleep if I don't."

He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off, then took off the white t-shirt he wore beneath it and dropped it and the dress shirt on the floor.

"Lay down," she smiled, watching as he lay on the sofa, face down.

She straddled his hips and began to work on the muscles in his neck and upper back, "Damn, you're all knotty."

"It was a tough one," he mumbled into the pillow.

"Yeah, I can tell," she softly said, placing a kiss on the back of his neck. Placing her lips near his ear, she quietly said, "Relax, Aaron. It's over…"

"Mmmm hmmmm…." He murmured, forcing himself to relax. Her hands pressed on the tense spots of his back, drawing the strange mixture of pleasure and pain caused by a truly good massage. "Have I told you that I love your hands?"

"Many times," she chuckled, "But usually, they're working on other parts of your body when you say that."

"You're good at that too," he smiled, looking back at her. She looked as tired as he felt and he felt some what guilty about the fact that she was putting so much work into his back. "You look like you're about to drop, too."

"This is just usual stuff…" she dismissed, "One good night of sleep curled up with my favorite Unit Chief and I'll be fine."

"Funny," he said, carefully turning his body so that he lay on his back. "I was thinking that one good night with my favorite trauma surgeon and I'd be fine."

As he leaned up to kiss her, Gabi's face contorted in pain. "Foot cramp!" she said, through a grimace.

"Sit back," he commanded, watching as she did just that. Then, as he'd done countless times before, he took her right foot in his hand and firmly began to massage it. "How's that?"

"Hurts, but keep going…" she winced.

He knelt on the floor in front of her. "Here…press against my shoulder with the other foot…before it cramps too."

"You know me too well," she smiled, pressing her left foot against his shoulder.

"How many hours did you go without sitting down this time?"

She thought for a moment, "Eight?"

"Gabi…" he warned, his fingers kneading the ball of her foot, waiting for her brows to unfurrow, signaling the cramp had passed.

"Okay, Mr. Pot Calling the Kettle Black," she softly teased, letting him know that this line of discussion was officially ended. "It's gone. Thank you."

He released her foot, but remained between her legs as he moved forward and kissed her. "Wanna go upstairs?"

She placed her hands to his cheeks and smiled, "Let's see what we can do to make sure there are no nightmares tonight, okay?"

He kissed her again. She did know him well, too well, he sometimes feared. "Come on."

XXXXX

It took the better part of two hours to get her car fixed and get out to Aaron's house. As she parked down the block, she was glad to see the lights were still on. This meant someone was still awake. She'd hoped it was Aaron.

She crept close to the house, cursing the cool fall night. They were inside and despite the fact that the windows were still open, she had to strain to hear them. She peered into the living room and nearly gasped at the scene unfolding in front of her.

Was there no end to this woman's hubris? She was laying on the sofa, as if she were some sort of queen, while he knelt before her, shirtless, massaging her feet. This was the last straw, she decided. Something would need to be done and quickly.

Ami could not just sit back and watch as her Aaron, her good, true, sweet Aaron was made to do this woman's bidding. No, Ami could not watch this any longer. She needed to walk away…to think this out.

Standing, she walked down the driveway, being careful to not set off the motion sensor lights. As she did, she passed Gabriela's car. Normally, it was housed in the garage, but tonight, they'd left it in the drive way.

Ami stared at the car for a long moment, then, with an evil grin, she reached into her pocket and produced the Swiss army knife that her father had given her as a child. Without a second thought, she crept to the car, using the knife to puncture each tire.

Once she was done, she stood, listening to the hiss of air leaving all four tires, before making her way down the drive way. She wished she could be there in the morning to see "her" face as she found all four tires slashed. It would be priceless. She only regretted that Aaron would be inconvenienced by this as well, but that was okay. Once Gabriela was out of the picture, she would make sure that he forgot all about it.


	6. Chapter 6

Aaron Hotchner noticed that something wasn't right with his wife's car as soon as he walked out of the house.

"Shit," he muttered, noticing that the right rear tire was flat. As he walked behind the car, he noticed that the left rear tire was flat as well. "What the hell?" he asked, as he realized that all four tires were flat.

As he bent to inspect the tire closest to him, he heard the front door open and shut, and then heard Gabriela's voice.

"What the hell?" she said, mimicking his earlier exclamation.

"Looks like they've been punctured," he said, standing up.

"Son of a bitch," she spat. "My mother's got a doctors appointment, so I need to get the kids to school and then get into work."

"I'll drop you off," he said, opening the garage door. He did a quick examination of his car and finding nothing, turned to Gabriela. "We really should file a police report."

"For what? It was probably kids and they'll never catch them."

"Still," he said, "We should do call it in. Just in case."

"I can't stay here and wait for the police to show up," she tiredly said. "We're short staffed as it is, if I'm not there and a major trauma rolls in…"

"I'll run you all in and then come back," he decided. "I just don't want to take any chances."

Gabi looked at him curiously, "You have a feeling on this one, don't you?"

He shrugged, "After everything I've been though, I'm not leaving anything to chance, okay?"

She pecked his cheek, "Okay. You win."

"Go on and get the kids. Call your mom, too. Let her know what's going on and have her pull her car into the garage when she's here."

"Will do," she agreed, walking back into the house.

He watched her walk inside then looked back at the car. He did have a feeling about this one and it wasn't a good one.

XXXXX

Ami walked into the lobby, doing her best not to draw attention. It was nearly noon and she hadn't seen Aaron's car yet. She felt terribly guilty that the damage she did had ruined his morning, but truthfully, she couldn't help herself. She'd felt such a blinding rage towards that bitch, Gabriela, that she'd been unable to stop herself from flattening her tires.

As she stepped closer to the windows, she smiled. Aaron's car was pulling into its marked spot. She ducked behind the large potted plants as he made his way across the lobby with long, purposeful strides. His face was a mask of frustration and once again, the guilt reached out and tapped her firmly on the shoulders.

It really wasn't her fault, she rationalized. If it wasn't for that damned woman, Ami would not have gotten that angry; she wouldn't have acted out like she did. It was "her" fault, that bitch. She caused all of this and once again, Aaron had to suffer for her behavior.

Ami had reached a breaking point. She couldn't sit back and watch this woman ruin his life. No, it was time to step up her game and save him from this horrible, disastrous marriage. No matter what it took.

XXXXX

Hotch watched the Mercedes delivery team drive off and then closed the garage door. Making sure it was properly locked; he turned and walked into the house.

As he walked into the living room, Gabi looked up from the professional journal she'd been reading. "How much?" she asked, with a wince.

"$935," he shrugged, "I'll submit it to the auto insurance in the morning." He slipped the receipt into his brief case.

Gabi closed the journal and watched him as he walked to the sofa, "Guess I should tell you the rest, huh?"

Hotch raised a brow, "There's more?"

"Well, at first, it really didn't mean much. But now…"

He sat down next to her, "Gabi…"

"Yeah, Aaron, I know. Anyway, we've been getting a lot of hang up calls."

"Quantify a lot."

"10 to 15," she shrugged.

"10 to 15 each day?"

She nodded, "Between the time I get home and when you got home, yesterday and today."

"And it's been just yesterday and today?"

"Yes, Aaron. What's that look for?"

"I'll call Detective Neville and have him place a phone tap," he calmly said.

"Is that really necessary?"

"It may be nothing at all," he said, pulling her into his arms, "But I'm not taking any chances."


	7. Chapter 7

Hotch looked out across the Kansas cornfield. Somewhere out in the vast acreage in front of him, were the remains of a teenage boy. Or so their anonymous caller had advised. They'd been looking for more than two hours and he was seriously starting to doubt the caller's veracity.

"I don't know about this, Hotch," Dave Rossi said, his voice weary.

"Yeah, I know, Dave," Hotch agreed. "But, we've got to keep looking."

"I just don't think…"

The ringing of Hotch's cell phone interrupted their conversation. Exchanging a shrug with Rossi, he flipped open the phone and said, "Hotchner."

"Aaron?" Gabriela's voice began, and in that one word alone, he could tell she wasn't happy.

"What's wrong, Gabi?"

"I know you're on a case…."

"Its okay, what's going on? Are the kids okay?"

"They're fine, now," she said, "I got a call from the school this afternoon. Apparently, while Olivia's class was out in the play yard, a strange woman approached her. She didn't touch her, but she talked to her through the fence."

"Did they see her? Call the police?" he asked, keeping his voice calm.

"The yard aide saw her and when she walked over, the woman left."

"Did they get a description?"

"Yes, they gave it to the police."

"How's Liv?"

"She was fine until everybody started freaking out and freaked her out. Luckily Ms. Karen thought quickly and pulled AJ out of class to calm her down."

Hotch smiled at the thought of AJ calming his sister, and then said, "I'll catch the first flight home."

"Aaron, don't be silly," she dismissed. "You're needed there. I've got my mother and Detective Neville has extra patrol cars in the area."

"What's going on?" Rossi asked, concerned by Hotch's expression.

Hotch held up his hand to Rossi and then spoke to Gabriela, "Where are the children?"

"Here, with Mama and I. Olivia is fine now; AJ just wants to make sure the doors stay locked. Will you be able to call at bedtime to talk to them?"

"I'll make sure I do," he promised, "Gabi, if anything doesn't seem right, call Detective Neville right away. And if you want me to come home…"

"I promise, I will, okay? Don't worry, we're fine. It could be nothing…"

"Your tires have been slashed; we've been getting hang up calls…."

"I know, I know…" she tiredly said, then, "You need to concentrate on the case you're working. We're fine. We're safe. If anything happens, I promise I will call you, okay?"

"Okay…I'll call at bedtime," he said.

"Sounds good. I love you."

"Me too," he softly said, "Bye."

He flipped the phone shut and looked at Rossi. "Someone went to the school and was talking to Olivia."

Rossi's brows shot up, "Did they get a description?"

Hotch nodded, "I'm going to call Detective Neville…"

"Hotch!" Morgan called, "We need you down here!"

"Go on," Rossi said, "I'll call Neville and get the info."

XXXXX

"Mommy?" AJ Hotchner said, looking up from his bowl of cereal, "C'n we go to the park today?"

"Yeah," Olivia echoed, "It's sunny. I wanna swing!"

"Why don't we just play here," Gabriela's mother, Silvana Girardi offered. "You've got your tree house and the slide…"

"Mama," Gabriela gently said, "It's a beautiful Saturday morning. I think the park would be a good idea."

"What if…"

Gabriela shook her head, "I can't live with what ifs. Let's all go. We can get lunch too."

"At Hamburgers and Cupcakes?" AJ excitedly asked.

"I wanna cupcake!" Olivia agreed.

"Then that's where we will go," She agreed, "Why don't you two go get your jackets?"

"Going!" AJ excitedly said, running from the kitchen with Olivia hot on his heels.

"Gabi," Silvana quietly said, "Are you sure…"

"Mama, look, we're going to be in the park."

"Exactly, the park…how easy would it be for someone…?"

"Stop, please? We will be there the entire time and we'll keep our eyes on them. I don't want them growing up with fear, okay?"

"Mommy!" AJ called, "Mailman came!"

"Thanks, AJ," she replied, "I'll get the mail. Did you get your jacket?"

"Yup," he said, "I'll go help Livvie."

"I'll get them ready," Silvana said, walking out of the room.

Gabriela walked to the front door and took the mail out of the box. As the door swung shut behind her, she flipped through the mail, depositing each envelope on the foyer table until she reached the large manila envelope at the back.

Curiously, she looked at the envelope; it was addressed to "Gabriela Hotchner". There was no return address, but the address was written in black fine marker in a neat script. Curiously, she opened the envelope. Inside were what appeared to be photographs. Carefully, she pulled them out and flipped through them.

Her heart stopped when she realized that the pictures were of her and Aaron on the night a few weeks ago, when they made love by the pool. Someone had written on the last picture with a heavy black marker the words, "I will not let you ruin him." Forcing down a mix of anger and fear, she shoved the pictures back into the envelope.

"Gabi, what's wrong?" Silvana asked.

"Nothing," she dismissed.

"What's in that envelope?"

"Don't worry about it, Mama, okay?" she quickly said.

"We going, Mommy?" Olivia asked.

"Let me run up and put my sneakers on," she said, forcing on a smile. "I'll be right back."

Gabriela ran up the steps and into her bedroom. Walking straight back to the closet, she opened the small floor safe and placed the envelope inside. Closing and locking the safe, she slipped on her sneakers and left the room.

XXXXX

"Both kids are sound asleep and Silvana called to say she's home," Hotch reported, walking into the bedroom to find Gabriela slipping on her night gown. He smiled, watching as she smoothed the green silk over her hips. "And I am glad to be home."

She smiled at him, "I'm glad to have you home…"

There was something in her smile that told him something was not right. Her demeanor in the two hours that he'd been home had made him curious, but now, he knew, something happened while he was away. "Gabi," he seriously began, "What's wrong?"

"I wanted to wait until the kids were asleep…" she began, handing him the envelope. "This came in the mail yesterday."

Hotch took the envelope and studied it, a plain, mailing envelope with Gabi's name and address written in neat black script. No return address appeared and the post mark was from Georgetown.

"Do we have any rubber gloves?" he asked.

Gabriela nodded and walked into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a pair of latex gloves. He took them, slipped them on and reached into the envelope.

"I touched each picture," she offered, "But only from the corners."

"Your prints are on file with the state," he replied, pulling a stack of photographs from the envelope. As he looked at each picture, anger began to course through his veins. "They were taken from the woods behind the pool."

"Wait til you get to the last one…"

He flipped through and when he reached the last one, he stopped. "I will not let you ruin him," he read aloud.

"Apparently, someone thinks I'm ruining you," she replied, her smug tone not masking the fear behind it.

"That's it," he said, shoving the pictures back into the envelope, "I'm calling in the team."

"Aaron…"

"I know, I will talk to Detective Neville first, but damn it, Gabi, you can't brush this one off…"

"I'm not trying to. Someone was watching us…taking pictures?" A visible chill ran through her.

Hotch set the envelope on the dresser and pulled off the gloves. He then pulled her into his arms. "We'll figure out who did this," he softly said.

"Before they do something worse?"

He held her at arms length and studied her face for a moment. The smug façade was gone, replaced by a look of fear. "I promise you," he quietly said, "I will not allow anything worse to happen."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she quietly said, "Just promise you'll figure out who this is."

"I promise," he said, pulling her back into his arms. "I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

Carrying a fresh cup of coffee, Aaron Hotchner walked into his office. He'd lost count of the number of cups he'd had. Gabi had been on him to cut back on the caffeine and he knew he should, but some days that was all that kept him going.

Sitting down behind his desk, he took another sip and set the cup on the edge of his blotter. As he opened the manila folder in front of him, his desk phone rang. Lifting the receiver on the second ring he said, "Hotchner."

"Well, hello there, Agent Sexy," Gabi's voice laughed over the line.

"Hello yourself," he said, finding himself smiling. "How's your day off?"

"Well, I dropped the kids off at school, came home and took a shower, did my hair, and now I'm thinking about going out to get a pedicure…"

"Pampering yourself today?"

"And why shouldn't I?" she playfully countered, "I deserve it."

"Yes, you do," he seriously said.

"So, I guess I'll get a manicure too. Unless," she said, her voice taking on a more sultry tone, "I can talk you into coming home…"

"Coming home? Why would you want me to come home and wreck your solitude?"

"Well…it depends on what you do when you get home."

"And what is it that you'd like me to do, Dr. Hotchner?" he said, keeping his voice quiet.

"I was thinking that maybe we could have a replay of last night," she went on, her voice a purr, "Only this time, we could…make a little noise."

"You do realize I'm at work," he laughed.

"I do," she confirmed. "Am I making it difficult for you to be professional?"

"Let's just say I'm glad I'm in my office."

"And that's where you're going to stay, isn't it?"

"I can't leave, as much as I want to. Maybe I can make it up to you tonight?"

"Hm....maybe I can get the kids to bed early…"

"I like the way you think," he said, noticing Dave Rossi walking up to his office door. "Hey Dave," he said.

"Is that Gabi?" Rossi smiled.

"It is."

"Tell her I said hello," he said, "And we've got a meeting in 5."

"I heard him," Gabi said, "Tell him I said hello. And go to your meeting."

"I will."

"Love you," she softly said.

"Me too," he replied, hanging up the phone.

XXXXX

Ami Walters parked her Honda down the street from the Hotchner house. Closing the door quietly, she walked up the street. She smiled as she approached the house, deciding that she couldn't have picked a better house herself. Sure, she would have decorated it differently, and eventually, she would, but for now, she could stand the furniture as is.

She walked up the driveway, mentally picturing the bed of pansies she'd plant in front of the house, after she pulled up Gabriela's ridiculous rose bushes. She'd also replace the tile house number sign. She knew Aaron would go along with it.

She wished she had a key to the front door, that would make getting in so much easier. Since she'd slashed Gabriela's tires, Aaron had made sure the alarm system was always armed and the police had been making extra trips through the neighborhood. This made things difficult for Ami, but not impossible.

She'd discovered a few days ago that the lock on the sliding glass doors near the pool was easy to jimmy. All it took was a lift and shove and she could get into the kitchen. Since then, she'd gone to the house during her lunch break.

She was careful when she was in the house. She didn't disturb anything and wore gloves. It wasn't the way she wanted to be there, but for the time being, she was content to just walk about and soak up the atmosphere. She wanted to be completely familiar with the house when she finally moved in.

She'd learned a lot during her time in the house. She'd picked up on the children's favorite foods, their favorite movies, their extracurricular activities – all things that would help her when it was her turn to be their mother.

Today, she'd decided to focus her attention on Aaron. In the short time she'd have, she was going to spend her time in the fifth bedroom that they'd converted into an office. Ami had stepped in to the room briefly, taking time to note which desk and computer was his and which was Gabriela's. But today, she would go through the drawers, study what he kept there. If she had time, she would also take a quick trip up to the master bedroom and spend some time there, but if she couldn't get there today, she'd do that tomorrow.

As she walked around to the back of the house, she noticed that the garage door wasn't completely closed. This was unusual, since after she'd slashed Gabriela's tires, Aaron had made sure that the garage was locked tight whenever they left the house. As she looked closer, she could see tires.

"Shit!" she spat, looking through the windows. It was "her" car. What the hell was "she" doing home? Disappointment nearly overwhelmed Ami. She'd built her day around her visit and now, thanks to "her" she couldn't go into the house.

As she walked back to her car, anger began to replace disappointment. Ami wanted – no, needed – to get into that house, one way or another. She stopped and thought for a moment, coming up with a plan that would do just that.

XXXXX

Gabriela Hotchner carried a load of folded laundry out of the laundry room. As she walked to the stairway, she checked her watch. It was 12:15 and she figured she'd have just enough time to put away the laundry before she had to leave for her 1 pm pedicure appointment.

As she started up the stairs, the doorbell rang. Curiously, she tried to look through the etched glass windows to see who would be ringing her doorbell at that time of the day. She could see what looked like a woman, but that was about it. As the bell rang again, she walked back down the stairs, set the laundry basket on the floor and walked to the door.

She opened it to find a familiar looking young woman with brown hair. She knew she'd met her before, but couldn't quite place her.

"Mrs. Hotchner?" the woman said.

"Yes?"

"Agent Hotchner sent me over to pick up some files he'd left at home," she began, then, "I'm Amy Walters, from the Bureau?"

At the sound of her name, Gabi remembered the quiet young woman who'd attended their Labor Day picnic, "Hi, Ami. Come on in. Did he say where he left the folders?"

XXXXX

Ami walked into the foyer, her mind racing. She'd gotten in the front door, now, if she could just get into the office and figure out a way to get Gabriela out, she'd be able to spend her time going through the drawers.

"He said he left them in his office," she tried, "I can go get them."

"It's okay," Gabriela smiled, "I'll find them."

"I'll come up and help you look. Maybe I could use your bathroom, too?"

"Sure, do you remember where it is?"

"I do," Ami replied, trying to sound gracious.

She followed Gabriela up the steps to the office off of the master bedroom. She smiled as she looked at Aaron's desk. They'd set up the room with two desks, each facing a separate wall. The desks were identical dark wood, but it was clear whose desk was whose. Aaron's desk was functional, just like his desk at the BAU. It was neat, with a standard dark blotter, a standard mouse, nothing unusual and very professional.

Gabriela's desk was much different. She had a bright pink blotter and mouse pad. Drawings and paintings made by the children mixed in with professional journals and note pads. A crystal vase containing a bouquet of bright pink carnations sat on the corner. And then there were the picture frames. What was it with this woman and pictures?

From the doorway, Ami could recognize that the shots were of Aaron and the children. They looked like candid shots. Something within Ami ached to get closer to study those pictures.

"I don't see any folders," Gabriela said, looking up from the stack of papers on the desk. "I'll check the drawers. Did he say what they contained?"

"Evidence reports," Ami quickly said, stepping closer to Gabriela's desk. "He said there were three of them."

Gabriela shrugged and started going through the drawers. With a smile, Ami edged closer to "her" desk until she could make out the pictures. There were several of the children, but she quickly discounted them, her eyes going instead to the two pictures of Aaron. In the first shot, he sat on one of the lounge chairs near the pool. Barefoot, in jeans and a Georgetown t-shirt, he was looking up from the newspaper he held, with a smile. He looked relaxed, comfortable; something Ami was not used to seeing in Quantico.

The second picture held her eyes. It was Aaron and Gabriela on a beach somewhere. He had lifted her up and held her in his arms. Gabriela's arms were around his neck and she was kissing his cheek. He wore a broad smile and was looking at the camera. Something about the picture caused her blood to boil.

He looked as if he was happy to have "her" in his arms. "She" held onto him possessively, kissing him to claim him as hers. It was wrong, so very wrong. Hatred for Gabriela welled up in her, her muscles tensed, her eyes narrowed. This woman had served her usefulness, it was time to act. She needed to leave, she needed to just disappear.

"Ami?" Gabriela's voice began, causing her to snap her head towards her. "Is everything okay?"

"No," Ami hissed, glaring at the woman, "Everything is not okay."


	9. Chapter 9

Gabriela stepped back out of reflex, watching as Ami glared at her. She wasn't sure what had angered this woman, but she was very clearly pissed off. Her ER training coming to play, she spoke quietly and calmly.

"Ami, what's wrong?" she asked.

"What's wrong?" Ami hissed, "What's wrong? Don't you see what's wrong?"

"No, I don't think I do," Gabi continued, backing to the door. "If I can help you…"

"Oh, you can help me," she replied, her voice full of disdain.

"Tell me how I can help you," she said, finally reaching the open door.

"By disappearing," Ami said. "This," she gestured with her hands, "Should be mine."

Gabi forced down her flight reflex. Obviously this woman had some sort of emotional issues and the doctor in Gabi felt that she could help her. "What should be yours, Ami?" she asked.

"Your house, your life," she went on, her mannerisms becoming more desperate. "Your husband."

"Ami, you're a beautiful girl. I'm sure there are lots of guys…" Gabi said, but Ami cut her off.

"I don't want just any guy, Gabriela. It's Aaron I want…"

Something about the tone of her voice and the look in her eye told Gabi that this woman was serious about her statement and quickly becoming unglued.

"And as I see it," Ami went on, "The only thing standing between Aaron and me is you."

XXXXX

Ami knew she was going to have to make her move today; she was going to have to get rid of this woman and realized that she wouldn't be able to simply drive her away. No, she was going to have to take matters into her own hands.

Ami watched as Gabriela backed to the door. She was scared and that made Ami very happy. She wanted her to suffer, just as Ami had suffered, watching "her" with Aaron. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the hot pink handled scissors from Gabriela's desk and held them in her hand.

"Ami, please, put down the scissors," Gabriela said, backing out of the door.

"It's time for you to go," Ami said, holding the scissors up and watching Gabriela's eyes widen in fear. "See, I was hoping that you'd go on your own, but since you won't. I'm going to have to help you." She stepped towards her.

Gabriela backed into the hallway and held out her hands. "Ami, put the scissors down. We can talk about this. I didn't know you felt that way about Aaron."

Ami laughed, "Of course you didn't. We kept it hidden from you. I had hoped he would tell you how he felt about me…"

"How does he feel about you?"

"He loves me," she replied, wondering just how stupid this woman could be. "And I love him. You…you don't know how to care for him. You don't know how to treat him."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen you…how you control him. You use sex as a weapon against him…you don't treat him properly…" Ami seethed, hatred spilling out. "I've watched you…"

"You took those pictures, didn't you?"

"Those and more," she replied, deciding that she would let Gabriela know everything. "I've seen what you do to him. And my poor, poor Aaron…he puts up with it. You're stealing his soul…beating him down…you're ruining him. And I am tired of watching it."

"Ami…"

"Stop!" Ami bellowed, "Stop trying to reason with me. Stop trying to calm me down. Don't you get it? I need to remove you…" Ami took a step closer and raised the scissors up in the air. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do." She brought her arm down wanting to drive the scissors into Gabriela's chest, but the woman moved quickly out of her way. "Do not run from me!"

"Ami, think this through. If you kill me, Aaron will not be happy…"

Ami laughed at this woman's pathetic reasoning. "But that's where you're wrong. He will be. He'll be very happy. I'll see to it."

"But the children won't. What will you tell AJ and Olivia?"

"Children are resilient," she dismissed. "They'll forget all about you…"

Gabriela was backing towards the steps. Amy wasn't about to let her get down stairs and out the front door. Instead, she reached out with her free hand and grabbed her by her arm. "I said, don't run from me."

XXXXX

Gabi stood in the hallway, her heart pounding, her mind focusing on getting away from Ami Walters. She knew the steps were behind her, but Ami was too close. If she were to turn and run down the stairs, Ami could thrust the scissors into her back. She needed to disarm her, to get her to drop the scissors. The question was, how?

When Ami reached forward and grabbed her arm, Gabi decided that she would have to do it physically instead of reasoning with her. She thought back to all of the times her dad, the lifelong Marine, tried to teach her hand-to-hand combat. He reasoned that it would help her if someone attacked her or if a patient got out of hand. She'd listened, halfway. She knew she didn't pick up much, but hope she picked up enough.

As Ami raised her arm and brought the knife down, Gabi reached up and grabbed her wrist. Ami was strong and it took all of her strength to hold her arm back. She stepped back, trying to get a better footing and realized that she was only a few inches from the stairs. She leaned forward, hoping to push Ami back and knock her off balance.

XXXXX

Ami was ready when Gabriela tried to push her backwards and met with a push of her own. She shoved hard and felt Gabriela lose her balance and fall backwards. As Gabriela lost her balance and started to fall backwards towards the stairs, she released Ami's arm, reaching out to catch the banister.

Ami watched as she fell, her hands missing the banister and with a look of terror that made Ami smile, she fell backwards and down the stairs. Ami stood at the top, watching as she half fell, half rolled down the curved stairs, finally coming to rest on the tile landing in an unceremonious heap.

Gabriela wasn't moving. Ami walked quickly down the stairs, keeping her distance, just incase this was a trick.

"Gabriela," she called, cautiously reaching out with her foot and shoving the woman. She didn't react, she didn't move.

Ami smiled. This had worked out better than she could have ever hoped. She didn't need to stab her; the stupid woman fell on her own. Leaning over, Ami watched Gabriela's back, looking for signs that she was breathing. There was no movement.

Ami felt giddy and laughed as she slipped the scissors into her pocket. She walked past Gabriela's body with barely a glance. Walking past the hall table, she pulled a tissue from the box and used it to open the front door. Shutting the door behind her, she gazed around the neighborhood. Nobody was around.

With a smile, she walked back down the street to her car. "I'll be back," she said aloud. "But this time, to stay."


	10. Chapter 10

"And that's why I think he'll strike again before the week is out," Reid defended, expectantly gazing around at the faces of his teammates.

"Good rationale," Hotch nodded. "So where do we go now?" As he looked to the team for answers, his cell phone rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he flipped it open, "Hotchner."

"Mr. Hotchner, this is Nancy Jackson from Chesterbrook Academy," the email voice began.

"Yes, Miss Jackson, what can I do for you?"

"Aaron and Olivia are with me in the office, neither Dr. Hotchner nor Mrs. Girardi have been in to pick them up."

"Silvana's in Maryland for the day, visiting family," he explained, his calm reply masking the growing dread that bubbled beneath the surface. "My wife was supposed to pick them up at four."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hotchner, but she hasn't been here and we haven't been able to reach her."

"Did you try calling her cell?"

"Yes, Sir. We tried both the home and her cell and both go to voice mail."

"Hotch," Morgan asked, concern written on his face. "Everything okay?"

Hotch held up his hand, listening as Miss Jackson went on, "The children are certainly safe here, but they are the only two left in the building and they are both tired and hungry. Olivia is becoming fearful…"

"I'll come get them…"

"We'll be waiting."

After saying thank you, Hotch flipped the phone shut and faced his team. "That was Chesterbrook Academy. Apparently, Gabi hasn't been there to pick up AJ and Olivia. They can't reach her on the phone." He flipped open his phone and dialed Gabi's cell. It rang four times and went to voice mail. Disconnecting, he tried the home phone, only to hear, after five rings, his own voice announcing that the Hotchner's were not home.

"What time was she supposed to pick them up?" Rossi asked, sitting up in his chair.

"Four," Hotch replied, standing up. "I need to get the kids then get to the house…"

"Hotch," JJ said, "I'll go pick up AJ and Olivia and take them to our house. They'll be okay with Will and I and you know they love Henry."

He looked at her and nodded, "Thank you, JJ. Tell them that we got stuck at work…"

"I'll come up with something," she winked, standing up and flipping open her own phone, "Let me let Will know we're having company."

"I'll be there as soon as I know something," he promised, walking out of the room.

Rossi caught up to him as they reached the steps to their offices. "Hotch…"

"Something's not right, Dave," he quietly said.

"Which is why I'm coming with you," Rossi simply said.

"You don't need…"

"You don't need to go alone," he firmly said, and then in a gentler tone, "I'm sure it's nothing, but…"

Hotch nodded, reading Rossi's message loud and clear. "Thanks, Dave," he said, two words speaking volumes.

XXXXX

Hotch pulled his SUV into the driveway and slammed it into park. Rossi's BMW pulled in right after him and parked next to him. As he got out of the car, Hotch hit the garage door opener and watched as the door rose to reveal Gabi's car.

"Her car's here…" he announced, walking into the garage and through the door into the rec room. "Gabi?!" he called.

Rossi reached out and touched his arm, stopping him before he climbed the stairs to the first floor "You don't know who's upstairs…"

Nodding, Hotch pulled his gun from its holster and holding it in front of him, walked up the stairs. Rossi followed close behind.

Hotch pushed open the doorway to the kitchen and after making sure no one was waiting for them, he walked in. "Gabi?" he called again, walking into the dining room. As he turned the corner to the foyer, he saw the laundry basket; full of folded clothes and sticking out behind the basket was her foot, her tan skin standing out against the white tile floor.

Cautiously, he made his way into the foyer. "Gabi," he said, the word coming out more as a gasp, as he found her, lying still at the bottom of the stairs. "Dave, she's in here!" he called, as he knelt next to her. "Gabi…" he said, checking her pulse. He looked up at Dave to find concern etched on his features, "Pulse is strong and steady."

"You take care of her, I'll check the rest of the house," he nodded, "And call 911."

Hotch barely heard his friend's words as he focused on Gabi's face. Being careful not to cause more damage than had already been caused, he gently turned her so that he could see her face. A nasty bruise was forming on her cheek and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her lips. "Gabi," he softly said, stroking her hair, "Wake up."

Rossi walked down the stairs, holstering his gun, "Nobody's here. Things are kinda tossed around in the office…looks like someone was looking for something. Ambulance is on its way."

Hotch looked at her hands; there were no cuts or scratches, nothing that would tell them that she struggled with someone. "No defensive wounds," he quietly said, his eyes focused on her face, it was still, emotionless, and nothing at all like he was used to.

Rossi walked around the foyer, doing anything to avoid watching his old friend. "There's no sign of forced entry. Maybe she just lost her footing and fell?"

"It's possible," he allowed, but in his gut, he knew that wasn't the case.

"You're not buying that, are you?"

He shook his head, "She's gone up and down these stairs a million times, carrying laundry, carrying the kids, so pregnant she couldn't see her feet, drunk off her ass…" He looked up at his friend, "No, Dave. I'm not buying it."

XXXXX

Hotch sat next to the hospital bed, watching as Gabriela lay motionless. Her face remained expressionless, cold, and blank. Even when she slept, Gabi's face showed her emotions and laying still was something he'd bet she'd never done.

The bruise on her face was a nasty shade of purple and her eyes were darkened and sunken. This, they assured him was perfectly normal and a side effect of the fracture at the base of her skull. As if anything related to a skull fracture could be considered "perfectly normal".

He'd lost track of how many hours had passed, although he did remember seeing the sun rise. He supposed he'd dozed off momentarily, but couldn't be sure. Rossi brought him a change of clothes and strong armed him into a shower at some point. He'd done so as quickly as possible, afraid she would wake while he was gone.

She hadn't, of course, no matter how much he'd wished she did.

Standing, he stretched his aching muscles for a few moments, then sat back down and took her hand. "You know, Gabi," he said, quietly. "This is getting old. You really need to wake up."

She didn't respond, so he kept going.

"Everybody's worried about you. Your mom drove back from Maryland and has been camped out in the waiting room. JJ and Will took the kids home with them. They'll be okay there for a while."

He sighed, rubbing her fingers with his thumb. When he spoke again, it was barely a whisper. "Come on, Gabi, please wake up. I know it's selfish, but I need you. I can't do this without you."

"Yes you can…" she mumbled.

He looked up at her face, finding her lips pursed and her eyes fluttering. "Open your eyes…"

"Trying…" she replied, forcing them open. She blinked in the strong light. "Lights bright…"

"They are," he agreed, reaching behind the bed and turning off the over head light. "Is that better?"

She tried to nod and let out a small cry.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Hurts…like a bitch…" she said, as a tear slipped from her eye. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

She closed her eyes for a moment. "Nothing. What happened?"

"Dave and I found you lying at the bottom of the steps…"

"Hit my head?" she said, more a question than a statement.

"It looks that way."

"Skull fracture?" she asked, looking at him.

When he didn't answer right away, she said, "I'm a trauma surgeon…"

"I know," he softly laughed, "Yes, there's a fracture at the base of the skull."

She closed her eyes, "Basilar fracture…" She lifted her hand and felt around her head.

"What are you doing?"

"Drainage tube….where did they put it?"

He took her hands from her head and held them. "There isn't one. You've been doing okay; there wasn't any leaking of fluid."

She looked at him, "Did I fall?"

He looked away. He didn't believe she had fallen and there was an active investigation going on. He couldn't say a word to her.

"Aaron," she said, sounding very tired, "Did I fall or did someone push me?"

"I don't know, Gabi," he quietly said, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. "But I'm going to find out."

"Don't remember…" she mumbled, "So tired…"

"You just rest, okay? Maybe later you'll remember something…" he reached up and brushed aside a lock of hair that had fallen over her forehead, then bent and gently kissed her.

Forcing her eyes open, she looked at him, "The kids…"

"AJ and Olivia are with JJ," he explained, "Jack's with Haley."

"They're all okay?" she demanded, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"They're all fine," he smiled.

"And you?" she asked, fighting to keep her eyes open. "You're exhausted."

He shrugged, "I'm fine."

"Go home…sleep. See the kids…" she closed her eyes. "I'm gonna rest."

He watched as again, she slipped away, taking with her his carefully maintained façade of calmness. As her hand grew limp within his, he lost the fight to remain impassive and felt the first of many tears slip from his eyes. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, he tried to hold them back, but exhaustion and worry were formidable foes and they held the flood gates open for him. Resting his head on the bed, he gave in and broke down.


	11. Chapter 11

It had been 36 hours since Hotch had found Gabriela lying at the bottom of the stairs and JJ could tell that in those 36 hours, he hadn't allowed himself one second of rest.

As the rest of the team mobilized to figure out what happened to Gabriela, JJ took over the role of guardian to the children. She and Will did their best to keep them sheltered from most of the details, but they weren't stupid children. Both of them knew that something wasn't right.

Over the course of the those 36 hours, she watched as AJ, the jokester with a quick smile became a quiet, stoic miniature of his father and talkative, happy Olivia became a teary eyed fearful child. It hurt her to see them like this but try as she might, she couldn't rouse them from their current states.

AJ had fallen into a restless sleep before Hotch had arrived, but Olivia was still awake, curled up on the sofa, sitting as close to Will as possible, with her thumb firmly planted in her mouth.

JJ wasn't sure whose smile was brighter when father and daughter were reunited. She held back a tear, watching as they held each other tightly.

"I missed you, Daddy," Olivia pouted, her tiny hands framing her father's face.

"Me too, Livvie," Hotch replied, his tone strained.

"Where's Mommy?"

Hotch took a breath and sat down on the sofa. He sat Olivia on his knee, "Mommy's at the hospital."

"Working?"

"No, Sweetheart," he softly said, "Mommy fell down…"

Olivia's eyes grew wide, "Like AJ did at baseball?"

"Sort of."

"Then why's she at the hops-it-al?"

"When she fell, she bumped her head and she's sleeping," he went on, fumbling for something to say.

"Why?"

Hotch looked up at JJ, his eyes seeking a response that wouldn't come to his tortured mind.

It was Will who spoke up, and in his soft Southern accent said, "You momma's sleepin' so that her body can concentrate on makin' that bump on her head better."

**A/N: Just a short little bit to advance the story - there will be more to come. Stay tuned....**

This seemed to satisfy Olivia and she nodded. After a moment's thought, she looked first to Will, then Hotch, and asked, "Is she awake now?"

"She woke up for a little bit," Hotch explained, "But she needs more rest. She told me to come see you and AJ and hug you both for her."

"I wanna see Mommy," she pouted, her bottom lip trembling.

"I'll take you to see her in a day or so, Livvie."

"No, I wanna see her now!" she went on, tears forming in her eyes. "You take me Daddy!"

"Liv, we need to give her time to rest and get better," he tried, but Olivia wasn't having it. She was as determined and passionate as both of her parents put together, a fact that not only made Hotch completely frustrated, but also proud as he could be.

"I can help her," Olivia insisted, tears falling, "I c'n kiss her booboo, like Gamma does."

"Olivia," Will tried again, "You know what? Your daddy needs to get some sleep and AJ's out like a light. Why don't we all go to bed and maybe in the morning, we can all talk about this again?"

"Yeah, Liv," a long silent Henry finally piped in, "And tomorrow morning, you and me can make French toast for everybody."

Olivia shook her head as sobs wracked her little body. "I want Mommy," she sobbed, burying her face into Hotch's shoulder and clutching at his jacket.

Hotch held her tight, closing his eyes in an effort to hold onto the control he was coming desperately close to losing.

"Hotch," JJ softly said, causing him to open his eyes and turn to her. "She's barely slept and is ready to drop. Maybe, if you take her up to the guest room, you can get her to go down for the night."

He nodded, "Good idea."

"When you come down," Will said with a smile, "We'll fix you somethin' to eat."

"Thanks Will," he sincerely said, hoping the words conveyed the feeling behind them. Rubbing Olivia's back, he said, "Come on, Liv. Let's go lay down."

XXXXXX

About half an hour later, JJ walked quietly through the hallway. She stopped in to Henry's room to check on AJ, who was sleeping soundly on the bottom bunk, his little brows furrowed into a perfect Hotchner scowl.

She walked down to the guest room and stopped in the doorway. A soft smile crossed her lips as she looked at the bed. As she'd expected, Olivia had finally given in to her exhaustion and was sleeping, curled up next to Hotch, who had given into his own exhaustion and fallen asleep as well, a protective arm held around his daughter.

Taking a quilt from the rack at the foot of the bed, she gently covered them both. Grateful that neither one of them had awakened; she made her way out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

"So, what have we got?" David Rossi said, walking into the Hotchers' home office.

"Nothin' more than we had last time we looked," Morgan sniffed. "Man, poking around Hotch's house is just creepy."

"It's a crime scene, Derek," Rossi said, feeling much the same. He looked over at Gabriela's desk, noting the difference between Hotch's sedate, "all business", desk and Gabriela's brightly colored accessories and framed photographs.

"Except for the overturned pen holder, nothing appears disturbed on Gabriela's desk," Rossi said.

Morgan nodded, "Someone was looking through Hotch's desk, but it's not tossed carelessly. It's like someone took their time and was careful not to disturb things too much."

"So, what could they have been looking for?" Rossi asked, then, looking back to Gabriela's desk, "And what could they have been going for on Gabi's desk that caused the pen holder to fall over."

"Her scissors are missing," Hotch's voice began from the doorway, causing them both to look up.

"Hotch…" Rossi said.

"What, Dave? Are you going to tell me I shouldn't be here? Last I checked, my name was on the deed," he said, looking about the room.

"Do you see anything else that seems out of the ordinary, Hotch?" Morgan asked.

"Someone went through the drawers in my desk," he said, "I never leave them open like that."

"And Gabi's desk?" Rossi asked, watching as Hotch looked over at her desk.

"It doesn't look like anything's gone, except for the scissors."

"And you're sure they were there?"

"They were there when I left for work in the morning," he explained, "She cut a thread off of the button on my jacket."

"We'll look around and make sure she didn't move them," Morgan agreed.

"Have they found any prints?"

Rossi shook his head. "No prints."

"Fibers? Hairs?"

"There were a few brown hairs here in the office and at the top of the stairs," Rossi went on, "They were too light to match the four of you and although the color was similar, they were too long to belong to Jack. We've sent them to the lab."

"And the neighbors? Did anyone see anything?"

"Emily and Reid are out canvassing the neighborhood now."

XXXXX

Hotch walked down the hospital hallway with a purposeful stride. He'd wanted to get tearlier, but by the time he took the kids to school and stopped by the house, it was nearly 11 am. As he walked into the room, he found Gabriela sitting up in bed.

The bruises under her eyes had taken on the nasty yellowish purple tone that two day old bruises wore, but when she spotted him, she smiled.

"I was wondering if you'd get here before lunch," she said.

"I'm sorry," he replied, stepping to the side of the bed and kissing her softly. "I took the kids into school. I wanted to speak to Mrs. Jackson and explain what was happening."

Concern took over her features, "Are you sure having them in school is okay?"

He nodded, "They're safe. Detective Neville's got a car posted in the school lot."

She closed her eyes for a moment, "Damnit, Aaron. I don't want my children to live this way."

"I don't either," he softly said, "But the car is discreet and I doubt either of them know what's going on."

Tears fell from her eyes.

"Hey," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her hand, "Don't cry."

"I can't help it," she sniffed, "Lack of emotional control is a side effect of a head injury."

"Practical as always, aren't you?" he fondly asked, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Ouch, that still hurts."

"Then don't roll your eyes," he countered.

"Thanks, Mr. FBI," she smartly said.

"You're the doc, Doc," he quipped, watching as her smile faded.

"I still don't remember anything that happened, Aaron."

"Nothing?"

She shook her head, "I wish I did."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Carrying the laundry up from the laundry room."

"Did someone ring the door bell?"

"I think so…" she replied, looking at him, "Did it look like anyone broke in? I don't remember anyone breaking in."

"Gabi, you know I can't tell you…"

"Maybe, if you give me a bump…just a little one, it will help me remember."

"And it could jeopardize the case," he firmly said.

"Then take me to the house," she insisted. "Let me see it…"

"You're not strong enough to leave the hospital."

"Can I see pictures?" she asked, then sighed. "Come on, Aaron, something has to jar my memory and sitting here in the hospital isn't going to do it."

"I was thinking I'd bring the kids in tonight…" he said, trying to change the subject.

"Aaron," she returned, not buying it. "As much as I want to see them, that was a totally clumsy way to change the subject."

"I'll talk to Detective Neville," he acquiesced, knowing she wouldn't let it go. "And see what he says."

"Fine," she agreed, then, "I want to see the kids, but I'm concerned with how they'll react to seeing me. I'm not exactly pleasant looking."

"You're beautiful," he sincerely said, kissing her forehead. This drew a smile from her.

"These black eyes are gonna freak them out," she sighed.

"Both of the boys have had black eyes before," he reasoned.

"What did you tell them happened?"

"That you fell down the stairs and hit your head."

She nodded. "And how did they react?"

"AJ has made plans for how he's going to help you when you get home."

"That's my boy," Gabriela smiled fondly, "And Liv?"

"She was upset," he truthfully said, "When I got to JJ's last night, she melted down and wanted me to take her to see you. I took her up to lay down and she finally just cried herself to sleep. This morning, she made me promise that I'd take her to see you after school."

"I guess then you'll have to bring them in," she rationalized, "You can't go back on a promise. You know she'll never let it go…"

"She does have your will, doesn't she?" he gently teased.

"Oh, now wait a minute…" she laughed, then sobered. "You know, you should be at the BAU, not sitting here holding my hand."

"The team is on an investigation," he replied, hoping she didn't push it. She believed that the local PD was handling this and he hadn't told her otherwise.

"Without their Unit Chief?"

"You need me here," he dismissed. Her expression told him that she saw right through his lie.

"Aaron, your team is working this case, aren't they?"

"Gabi…"

She sighed, "Great, so now I'm one of their victims. Are my pictures up on your bulletin board? Is Penelope hacking into my laptop?"

"Gabi," he firmly said, "I want this solved. I'm sure the local PD would do a fine job, but the team can do it better. Detective Neville has allowed them in."

"We're getting special treatment…" she protested. "If this would have been our next door neighbor…"

"Her husband is the Loan Officer of a bank," he countered, "And they get all the loans they need, it's called "professional courtesy". Besides, this is my team…and they want to help. Erin Strauss has signed off on it."

"She has?"

"She has," he concluded. "So stop complaining and let them work this case."

"Who's coming to interview me?"

"Who do you feel comfortable talking to?"

"Dave, I guess," she shrugged.

"I'll have him come in later on."

"Okay," she said, leaning her head back onto the pillows and closing her eyes.

Her skin had paled and her face contorted into a grimace.

"What's wrong?" he asked, quietly.

"My head hurts," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Bad…"

"Do you need anything?"

"Pain meds? They are giving them to me as requested. I held off waiting for you, because they make me fall asleep for a while."

"I'll get the nurse," he said, turning to leave, but she grabbed his hand and held him there, "Gabi…"

"You'll stay a while, right?" she asked, "Until I fall asleep?"

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, "Of course I will. Now let me go get the nurse."


	13. Chapter 13

Ami Walters had been ecstatic when she left the Hotchner house. She believed she'd eliminated the only thing keeping her from the life she'd deserved, her life as Mrs. Aaron Hotchner.

She'd gone home and spent her evening planning how she would go to him. As much as she wanted to run to him that night, she knew she would have to let him go through the motions of mourning Gabriela.

After all, as much as they wanted to be together, people would look at her in distaste if she didn't play this right. Ami didn't want that. She didn't want to be shunned; she wanted his friends, his team, and his family, to accept her, to love her as much as Aaron did.

She started to go through her belongings, deciding what she'd take with her when she moved out of her tiny apartment and what she could leave behind. This kept her busy late into the night. It was nearly 2 am when she finally decided to get to bed. After all, she needed to get up and go to work in the morning.

When she made it into the office, she wasn't surprised to hear about Gabriela's accident. What did surprise her, however, was the fact that the bitch wasn't dead. According to the grapevine, she had a skull fracture, but was expected to survive.

This, Ami decided, was a problem. A problem she would have to solve and solve quickly. But the question was, "How?"

XXXXX

The previous forty eight hours had gone by agonizingly slow and Ami Walters was still no closer to figuring out how to get Gabriela out of Aaron Hotchner's life once and for all.

Worst of all, she'd gone 48 hours without seeing him. She'd seen the team, as they gathered at the BAU. She'd done her best to glean bits of info by listening in as she delivered the files they'd requested. She tried to slip into the back ground and it wasn't too difficult, given the team's level of intensity. They barely noticed her as they talked about searching Aaron's house and finding no finger prints.

As she walked past Agent Morgan's desk, she stole a glance at his note pad. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw two words, underlined three times, "hair samples." Panic set in quickly. Gabriela hadn't pulled at her hair, how could she have left hair samples?

"Ami?" Morgan's voice said, startling her. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," she numbly said, willing her heart not to beat out of her chest.

"You sure?" he repeated, standing up and offering her his chair. "You just went awfully pale…"

Thinking quickly, she said, "Just haven't been feeling myself lately."

"Can I get you a drink or something?"

"I'll be fine," she dismissed, and then looked up at him, "Have you heard anything further about Dr. Hotchner? I mean…I know you can't talk about it, but it's so terrible…"

"I really can't say," he demurred, then, with a smile, "But Gabi's doing good."

"Is she? I'm so glad," she went on. "She's such a nice lady."

"She is. She'll be in the hospital for a while, but she'll make a full recovery."

Ami masked her anger with a smile, "That's great! I'm really glad." A burst of inspiration hit her and she said, "Does Agent Hotchner need any help with anything? I spent my summers during college working as a nanny; I could help out with the kids, if he needed."

"I think they've got it covered," he smiled, "But I'll let him know you offered."

"Derek," Jennifer Jareau began, as she walked over, "I'm gonna need to run out. Chesterbrook Academy called, AJ's got a fever. I think he picked up what Will has."

"You gonna be okay with him?"

JJ nodded, "Yeah, I called Hotch; I'll get him home and get him settled. He'll come by after seeing Gabi."

"Sounds good," Morgan nodded, "Call me if you need anything."

"I will," she smiled, "See you in the morning!"

Ami watched her leave, forcing down her anger. How dare Agent Jareau walk by without saying hello to her? Its okay, Ami rationalized. When she finally took her rightful place at Aaron's side, she would tell him about the way the blonde Media Liaison snubbed her. Aaron would not be pleased by this, not at all.

"Sorry about that, Ami," Morgan smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you," she nodded, standing up. "Thank you for looking out for me."

"You sure you're gonna be okay?"

"I think I may head home early and get some rest," she said, walking to the door. "See you soon!"

Ami walked out of the bull pen and to the elevators. So, Agent Jareau was picking up the Hotchner children. Did that mean they were still staying with her? Ami hadn't seen them last night when she drove by the house. She did see Aaron's car though, so she knew he was there.

A smile crossed her lips. Could it be that he was staying there alone? Last night, she wanted to get close, to look around, but didn't, for fear that the Police would see her. Instead, she just drove by the house.

Tonight, however, she made up her mind to drop by. Tonight, he would invite her in and they could be alone. They could share their feelings, plan their future. If she could convince him that Gabriela wasn't for him, that she didn't belong in his life, nothing else would matter. Not this investigation, not those stupid hair samples, certainly not Gabriela Hotchner.

No, the only thing that would matter would be her future with Aaron. That future was so close that she could nearly taste it, and nothing or no one would stand in her way.


	14. Chapter 14

Ami's hands shook as she walked up to the door. She was so close to reaching her goal that she could taste it. She wanted to please Aaron tonight, to show him that she was everything that he needed. She'd gone home, showered, and dressed in her favorite blue dress. It was sexy, yet tasteful and she knew he'd love it, just like he'd love her.

A cold rain had started to fall and she smiled, thinking about how they could light a fire in the fire place and share a glass of wine as they planned their future. Reaching out, she rang the door bell.

A minute went by and then two with no answer, so she rang again. After another few minutes, she frowned. Could it be that he wasn't home? She walked to the garage and peered in the window. Disappointment washed over her when she noticed that his car wasn't there.

"Damn," she spat, her mind racing to come up with another plan. As she walked around to the back of the house, she decided to go in through the back door and wait for him inside.

Once she made her way in, she took off her wet coat and hung it over one of the kitchen chairs. Taking her time, she walked through the rooms on the first floor. Taking her time to soak in her surroundings, becoming familiar with each detail, deciding what she would keep and what she would get rid of when the house was hers.

She made her way upstairs, taking but a moment to glance into each of the children's rooms and the office before making her way into the master bedroom suite. She stepped onto the plush dark beige carpet. Slipping off her shoes, she allowed her stocking clad feet to feel just how soft it was. She liked that rug. It could stay.

She walked to the bed and sat on the right side – the side where Aaron slept. Her hand smoothed out the comforter and traced across the pillow. Soon, this would be her bed. Soon, she would share this bed with Aaron. She shivered with anticipation, allowing herself but a moment to imagine their night together.

Pulling herself quickly from those thoughts, she stood and looked around the room. There were entirely too many pictures of "her" in the room. She couldn't possibly consummate their new future with "her" watching. She would have to get rid of them. But that would come later; once he was here he would help her.

As she walked around the bed, she noticed that the digital read out on the alarm clock read 9:55. Hopefully, Aaron would help to put the children to bed and then come back here for the night.

XXXXX

"They're both asleep," Hotch tiredly said, walking into the living room.

"And you look like you should be," Will said, standing. "Man, you look like you're gonna drop."

Hotch snorted, "No time for that, I've got to get back to the house and straighten up. They're probably releasing Gabi tomorrow."

"Hotch," JJ said, walking in from the kitchen. "Why don't you stay here tonight? You're exhausted."

"I need to get home," he protested, although the offer was very tempting. Silvana had straightened up the house yesterday. She'd changed the bed, put away the laundry, and some how she had managed to remove every indication that the Crime Scene Unit had been there. He wasn't sure what more he could do, but something told him he should still stop by the house. "I need to pick up a change of clothes," he tried.

"You've got your ready bag in the car," JJ dismissed, "Stop on your way into work tomorrow for a change."

He thought for a moment about fighting her, but exhaustion was rapidly taking over. "I hate to put you out any more than I already have…"

"Nonsense," Will dismissed, "Come on, I'll fix y'all a sandwich before you crash."

XXXXX

Ami stood in the middle of the large walk in closet, sorting through Gabriela's clothes. She wouldn't have picked out 95% of the items that hung there, but she had to admit, the woman had good taste. She recognized many of the clothing labels and even the ones she didn't recognize were well made and obviously cost some money.

A flash of color caught Ami's eye and she pulled out a dress. It was a simple, but beautiful burgundy sweater dress. Ami sniffed, realizing it was possibly the most sedate thing in the entire closet. Sure, the neckline was a bit lower than she would have picked, but it had long sleeves and the hem would have reached below the knee.

She held the dress to her body, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Smiling, she decided that she would keep this dress. She knew it would look amazing on her. Taking it from the closet, she laid it across the chest at the end of the bed.

Ami yawned and looked at the clock. It was nearly 10:30. Surely, Aaron would be here soon. She contemplated going back downstairs but decided instead to lie on the bed and wait. Carefully, she lay on his side of the bed, resting her head on his pillows, breathing in his scent.

She closed her eyes, feeling close to him, feeling relaxed and totally at home.

"I love you, Aaron," she murmured, as she drifted off to sleep.

XXXXX

At the sound of the alarm, Ami woke with a start. She blinked, looking around the room. As she woke, she realized where she was.

"Shit," she yawned, reaching over and turning off the alarm. The clock read 6:15 am. Running her hands through her hair, she sighed. Aaron didn't make it home last night.

She had wanted to spend the night with him; instead, she spent the night alone in his bed. Her plans had been ruined. She assumed that he'd spent the night with the children; after all, AJ was sick. Damn that kid, how dare he get sick and ruin her plans?!

"Stop!" she said aloud, "He's a little boy. He didn't do this on purpose. He was sick and Aaron is such a great dad that he couldn't leave his side." Ami slipped out of bed and studied her reflection in the mirror. "When they're my children," she said to her reflection, "We'll care for them together. We'll be a real family."

She smiled. "A real family."

XXXXX

"Hotch," JJ began, walking into the office, "What are you doing here?"

"Gabi's waiting for the doctor to come in and release her," he explained, looking up from the file he held, "I've got a few things to finish up here. She'll call when she gets the go ahead."

With a fond smile, she shook her head, "You know, you could go wait with her."

"She told me to come in," he sheepishly said, "She said I'd be prowling around the room, making her nervous."

"She's got a point," JJ gently teased, drawing a smile from him. "Silvana said she'd pick the kids up after school. I've got their bags in my office."

"I'll pick them up before I leave," he agreed. His tone grew serious, "JJ, thank you just doesn't seem enough…"

"It's enough, Hotch," she smiled, "We're glad we could help."

"I…" he fumbled for something more to say, but she cut him off.

"Please," she quietly said. "It's what family does for family."

"It is," he agreed.

"And on that note, I've got some case files to get to," she said. "Let me know when you're heading out, okay?"

"Will do," he nodded, returning his attention to the file in front of him.

A moment or two later, the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor out side of his office pulled his attention. He looked up, expecting to find that JJ had returned, but instead found Ami Walters.

"Agent Hotchner," she began, smiling at him. There was something different about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Ami," he smiled, "What can I do for you?"

"I brought the case files you requested," she replied, setting them on his desk.

As she leaned over, he caught a whiff of her perfume. He knew that scent, it was Jessica McClintock. He knew this only because Gabi had been wearing it for as long as he knew her. He'd never remembered Ami wearing that before, but then again, he never really paid that much attention.

"Everything okay, Agent Hotchner?" Ami asked, a smile on her face.

"Yes," he replied. "Fine, thank you."

"How's Doctor Hotchner?" she asked, absently playing with a lock of hair.

"She'd doing well," he smiled, "She's going to be released from the hospital today."

"That's great!" Ami replied. "Aren't you going to take her home?"

"I have a few things to wrap up, and then I'm going to take her home," he explained. "Thank you for bringing those files."

"Anything to help," she replied, "Please give my best to Dr. Hotchner."

"I will, thank you," he replied, watching as she walked out of the room. As she left, he noticed her dress. Not that he was much into fashion, but it looked just like the dress that Gabriela had worn on their first date, ten years ago. Only Ami didn't have the curves to fill the sweater dress out like Gabi did.

His eyes traveled to the Gabi's picture, taking a moment to linger on her smile. He was grateful that she survived her attack with only minimal damage. She'd make a full recovery, they said. Well, maybe. Her memory might not come back, and as much as he wanted her to be able to tell him what happened, he could live with her not remembering as long as she was healthy and happy.


	15. Chapter 15

The sound of the alarm woke Aaron Hotchner at 5:15 am, just like it did every morning. He reached out to turn off the alarm, just like he did every morning, but instead, hit the snooze alarm.

"You never hit snooze," Gabi's sleepy voice said, pulling his eyes down to where she lay in his arms.

"Sorry," he replied, kissing her forehead, "I wanted a couple more minutes to hold you."

She smiled at him, moving so they were face to face, "You'd think you missed me or something."

"I did," he replied, forcing himself to keep smiling, to stay light. "You have no idea just how much."

"Oh, I do," Gabi slyly said, her hand brushing against him. "Parts of you missed me a whole lot."

"Gabi," he warned, taking her hand, and pulling it away, "We shouldn't…"

"Why not? My discharge paperwork says I can't do strenuous activity for a week…" she said, caressing him with her other hand. "You'll just have to do all the work…"

He groaned, his body responding to her touch. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she smiled, lying back onto the pillows.

XXXXX

"How's Gabi doing?" Rossi asked, walking into Hotch's office.

Hotch didn't even try to hold back the smile, "She's good, happy to be home."

Rossi laughed at his friend's expression, "And I can tell by that smile that you're just as happy to have her home."

"I am," he nodded.

"You should've taken the day off, spent it with Gabi and the kids."

"We've got a week of stand down time starting Wednesday," Hotch dismissed, "She'll be feeling stronger by then…"

"And she'll have settled back into a routine without you hovering over her?" was his knowing reply.

"Something like that," he agreed. "Silvana's with her. She wouldn't hear of leaving her home alone all day this soon after she's been discharged."

"Didn't you have the same thoughts?"

"Of course I did,' he agreed. "But her mother will keep an eye on her."

XXXXX

"Mama," Gabriela began, walking into the kitchen, "You need to sit back and let me do something."

"You just got home, Gabriela," Silvana Girardi said, with her faint Cuban accent. "You just got out of the hospital…"

"I'm fine, Mama. I need to start getting back into the swing of things. I'm only out on leave for two weeks. I can't be lying in bed doing nothing or I'll never cut the ER."

"Two weeks is too short of a leave if you ask me," Silvana sniffed. "You fractured your skull. You can't be expected to go back to the schedule you had…"

"I'm not, Mama, I'm going to work partial shifts."

"I know you, Gabriela; you will not work a partial shift."

"I have no choice; my doctors are all on staff at my hospital. And besides, I think Aaron will physically remove me from the ER if I try to stay past my time."

"He's a smart man and he loves you."

"I know, I know," she smiled. "It's time to get the kids."

"I'll go…"

"Mama…"

"You can't drive alone yet and someone has to wait here for gardener," Silvana dismissed, grabbing her keys and her purse. "I will be back with them soon."

She gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the house.

XXXXX

Gabriela waited until she was sure her mother had driven away to relax and allow her body to feel the pain she'd been hiding. With a sigh, she sat on the sofa, relaxing into the cushions and willing away the dull ache in her back.

She'd done too much today from the moment she woke up and coaxed Aaron into an early morning romp. She smiled, recalling how he tried so hard to be gentle, despite his body's urging to do otherwise.

The kids were happy to have her home as well. Neither of them woke easily n the morning, but having her there to wake them got them both up with an excited smile. They reluctantly allowed Silvana to drive them to school when she got there.

Her mother was just as happy and didn't even try to hide it. When she returned home from dropping the children off that morning, she brought home croissants and coffee from their favorite bake shop. They sat at the kitchen table and had a leisurely breakfast, just enjoying each other's company. Something they hadn't had time to do for a long while.

Leaning her head back onto the sofa, she closed her eyes, allowing herself a few moments rest until the children got home.

XXXXX

Ami Walters parked her car down the block from the Hotchners' house and made the rest of the trip on foot.

Her plans had been to get there while Gabriela's mother was out picking up the children. She would have nearly 45 minutes alone with Gabriela. That would more than enough time to get rid of her once and for all.

Unfortunately, her boss had her pulling files for an emergency case. Traffic was horrible and it took her half an hour longer than it should have to get there. This was not good. She would have to move faster than she wanted to; she only hoped she could pull everything off in time.

XXXXX

"You sure Mommy's gonna be home?" AJ asked as Silvana pulled the car into the garage.

"Yes, Little One, she's home," Silvana smiled, turning off the car and opening the car door.

"I wanna see her," Olivia decided, unhooking her booster seat and slipping out of it, "Open the door, AJ."

"Gimme a minute, Liv," AJ said, opening the car door. "Come on."

As the garage door shut, Silvana cautioned, "Stay away from the garage door."

"I will, Gramma," Olivia declared, as she followed AJ out of the car. "I'm hungry."

"What are you hungry for?" Silvana asked, turning around to find a woman with long brown hair standing near the door. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ami," she said, walking towards them.

"What are you doing here?" Silvana asked, pulling both children to her.

"I am here to claim what's mine," she said with a smile.

"Ami, I don't know who you are…"

"I do," AJ said, looking at her, "She works with Daddy."

"That's right, AJ," Ami smiled, "I do work with your Daddy…now, I need to take care of some business with your Mommy, so I'm going to have to ask you all to stay out here."

"I'll do no such thing," Silvana said, walking to the door.

"I believe you will," Ami said, pulling a small handgun from her pocket and pointing it directly at Olivia, "If you make one more move to the door, I'll shoot. And don't think about screaming. Now, get into the laundry room," she instructed, nodding at the small room next to the garage. Ami's trips to the house taught her that the room had one door that locked from the outside. Due to building codes, it was a strong fire door. There was no way they'd get out.

"Please," Silvana calmly said, walking to the laundry room, "Don't hurt us…"

"I have no intention of hurting you or the children," Ami calmly replied, watching as Silvana lead the kids into the laundry room. "Now, give me your cell phone." She held out her hand.

"I don't have one," Silvana lied.

"Nice try," Ami snorted, "I saw you talking on it when you drove in. Now, hand it over."

Reluctantly, Silvana handed Ami the phone.

"Stay quiet and you'll all be fine," she said, walking out of the room and puling the door shut behind her. She quickly locked it and made her way to the door into the house. "Okay, Gabriela, prepare to meet the next Mrs. Aaron Hotchner."

,


	16. Chapter 16

Ami walked into the house through the garage door. Making her way through the kitchen, she listened carefully, trying to figure out where Gabriela was. The house was quiet, very quiet, and for a brief moment, she wondered if the woman was even there.

As she entered the foyer and looked into the living room, she smiled. Gabriela was there, on the sofa, her eyes closed, apparently taking an afternoon nap. This was going to be way too easy. She could walk in; shoot her….but then what?

Ami stopped, standing in the doorway, her mind racing. As tempting as it was, she couldn't just shoot Gabriela, there were witnesses. Of course, she could get rid of them too, she did have enough bullets. That would be messy and take a while, but it would allow Aaron to have a fresh start with no living remnants of his union with "her".

"What are you doing here?" Gabriela's voice began, pulling Ami from her thoughts.

"Dr. Hotchner," Ami said, slipping the gun into her pocket and forcing a smile. "Do you remember me?"

"Yes," Gabriela said, standing up, "I remember you, Ami. How did you get into the house?"

"I knocked on the door, but you didn't answer and I got worried," she said, making it up as she went along. "I saw your mother had left the garage door open, so I came in to make sure you were okay. I'm so glad…"

XXXXX

"What are you doing here?" Gabriela repeated. Something wasn't right here; something about Ami didn't sit right with her. She just couldn't place what.

"I came by to pick up some files that Agent Hotchner left in his office," she said, calmly, "He said they were upstairs in your office?"

Her words echoed through Gabriela's mind. She'd heard those words before. "Files, you say?"

Ami nodded, her eyes darting to the stairs. "I can go up and get them…"

"I'll get them," Gabriela replied, walking past her to the stairs. She ran up the stairs quickly and walked back into the office.

Sitting in Aaron's chair, she forced herself to stop and think. "Come on, Gabriela, this is too familiar…think…" she said aloud.

"You're right," Ami said, from the doorway to the office, "It is familiar…but this time, it's going to work."

Gabriela looked up at her and suddenly remembered everything. It was Ami who'd come to the house with a ruse about missing files. It was Ami who'd caused her fall.

"I see you remember," Ami replied, "So now you know why I'm here. Good. Let's make this as easy as possible," she went on, pulling the small gun from her pocket. "You have outlived your time in this house."

"Ami," Gabriela calmly said, standing up. "Just stay calm. There's no need to shoot me."

"I'm afraid there is," Ami went on, stepping into the room.

"No," she went on, stepping to the right, thinking she might be able to get around Ami and out of the room. "I'll go…"

Ami laughed and it was a cold, hard sound, "Don't try to humor me. You won't give him up. He's told me. You're clingy, demanding…you've ruined his life."

"And that's exactly what he said to me this morning," Gabriela went on, watching as Ami's expression grew curious. "He didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"He wants to leave me," she went on, stepping again towards the door, "He told me that he wants to be with you."

"No…" Ami replied, confusion written on her face. "That's not how this was supposed to work. You're supposed to leave. This is supposed to be our home."

Gabriela was only two long steps from the door to the hallway, she had to keep Ami off balance, so she went on, "He said he wanted to start over, fresh. This place would hold too many memories for you both. He wants you to have a new home…"

"But…."

As Ami processed this new information, Gabriela took one more step, and now stood, just a foot from the door. One more step and she could get out of the room.

"You're lying!" Ami roared, holding the gun up. "Aaron wouldn't do that to me. He knows that I want this house!"

"That's what he said," Gabriela tried, inching to the door.

"Stop moving!" Ami commanded, removing the safety on the gun. "I will shoot you right here."

They stood, in silence for a moment and then the telephone began to ring.

"Don't even think about answering it," Ami hissed.

Gabriela waited while the phone rang five times before the answering machine picked it up. She could hear the prerecorded message of Aaron's voice advising that they were not able to reach the phone but if you leave a message they would get back to you and then, his voice again, this time live.

"Gabi, it's me. Just wanted to check in and see how the kids made out at school today. Guess you and Silvana are out running around with them. I'll try your cell. Love you."

As the line clicked and went silent, Gabriela heard her cell phone ring.

XXXXX

Ami stood there, listening as Aaron told "her" that he loved her. She knew instantly that Gabriela had lied to her. Why would he say that if his intent was to leave?

The line went silent and then, she heard Gabriela's cell phone rang. Her stomach turned as she heard the song Gabriela had picked for Aaron's ring tone, "I'm Yours," by Jason Mraz. She looked up at Gabriela with a pained expression.

"Why that song?" she demanded.

"It was popular back when we were dating," Gabriela explained.

Ami shook her head, "There's more…I need to know."

With an expression that Ami swore was gloating, Gabriela explained, "One morning, we were lying in bed and the song came on the radio…and he kinda sang it to me…"

"You're lying…"

XXXXX

"I'm not, really," Gabriela said, seeing a chink in Ami's armor.

"Aaron Hotchner does not sing pop songs…" she protested.

"He does," Gabriela went on, "Not very often or very well, but he does."

Ami shook her head, "No…"

"You've never seen that, have you, Ami?" Gabriela went on, again feeling a shift in power. "You've never seen his silly side…you've only seen what he shows the Bureau."

"No, I was here, I saw him with the children…I saw him in the pool…I've watched him…"

Forcing down the nausea she felt, Gabriela went on, "Well, if you've watched him that much, I'm sure you've seen it. I'm sure you've seen him dancing to Yo Gabba Gabba with Olivia or playing Guitar Hero with Jack, he does a mean Van Halen…"

"Stop!" Ami said, "No…Aaron is too serious for that."

"Once upon a time, he was," Gabriela confidently said, "But now, he can turn it off and on."

Ami shook her head. "No. You're lying…"

XXXXX

"What's the matter?" Rossi asked from the doorway to Hotch's office.

"I just tried to call Gabi and I can't get her on the house phone or her cell," he replied, standing up and slipping on his suit coat.

"Did you try Silvana's phone?" Rossi asked, following Hotch out of the office.

"Went straight to voice mail," Hotch stopped at the top of the stairs, "I'm not over reacting…"

"Neither am I," Rossi agreed, "Let's go check it out."

"What's going on?" Emily Prentiss asked as Hotch and Rossi rushed through the bull pen.

"Hotch can't get a hold of anyone at home," Rossi shot over his shoulder, "We're going to check it out."

"Need back up?" Morgan asked, standing.

"We should be okay," Rossi said, as they made their way out of the office.

"Yeah, right," Morgan sniffed, looking at Prentiss, "You coming?"

"Try and stop me," she replied.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry about the last post folks! THIS is the right Chapter 17! Thanks to those who pointed it out! Hope you enjoy!**

"Gramma," AJ Hotchner said, his brow furrowed. "We need to get out of here."

"Ami locked the door, AJ," Silvana calmly said, her thoughts echoing those of her grandson. "And the door is too strong to break."

"I know," he thoughtfully said, reminding his grandmother of a miniature version of his father. "But, maybe Daddy will be here soon and can let us out."

Silvana checked her watch, even if he left the office "on time", Aaron wouldn't be due home for at least another two hours. "He won't be home for a bit, AJ."

"Gramma," Olivia said, looking between her brother and her grandmother, "I don't like it in here. I wanna go outside."

"Livvie," AJ began, "I will get us out of here."

"AJ…" Silvana fondly began, but AJ wouldn't hear anything of it.

"No, Gramma," he firmly said, "Me and Jack play FBI all the time. I know how to get out of things like this. I just need to think of a way…"

XXXXX

"I'm not lying, Ami," Gabriela went on, her mind furiously working on an escape plan. "I know you say you love Aaron, but I'm worried that maybe you don't know him well enough…"

Ami's eyes darted around the room, and then she glared at Gabriela. "I do know him," she insisted. "I know all about him. I know that he's 6 foot 2, he graduated from Georgetown. Before he came to the BAU he was in SWAT…"

"You've read his file…"

"No!" Ami snapped, "I know more than that! I know that he's left handed, likes his coffee black, prefers muffins to Danish, his favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate chip…he listens to the Beatles and Tom Petty…" Ami stopped, "I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to talk me out of this…it won't work."

Deciding to take a different take, Gabriela said, "Okay, you do know him…but do you know the children? Well enough to take over as their mother?"

Ami laughed, "They're children. What is there to know?"

"There's a lot to know," she returned, her eyes spotting the letter opener on Aaron's desk. "Do you know their favorite stories? What foods they'll eat and won't eat?"

"They'll eat," Ami hissed, "What I give them. They do not have a say. They will do what I tell them. You spoil those children. You send them to that fancy private school; you buy them whatever they want. They will not live like that when I am their mother."

"You forget," Gabriela went on, slowly inching back to Aaron's desk. "Aaron is just as much to blame."

"I don't think so…"

"He's the one who picked Chesterbrook," Gabriela went on, "He's the one who…"

"STOP!" Ami roared, causing her to stop in her tracks. "I will not let you stand there and blame this on him! You have ruined those children just like you tried to ruin Aaron! I am done with you…and with them. You know, I think that once I am done with you, I will go downstairs and get rid of them too. This way, Aaron and I can start over fresh. With no remnants…"

Gabriela reached back behind herself and felt for the letter opener, she kept talking in an effort to distract Ami, "Do you really want to do that?" she asked, "Destroy everything that Aaron holds dear?"

Ami's eyes narrowed, "You and those brats are an albatross around his neck. I should have killed them first!"

Her right hand settled on the opener and she clenched her fist around it. She knew that it was no match for a handgun, but she thought, that maybe, she'd be able to catch Ami off guard and some how get the gun away from her. "Ami…" she said, doing her best to sound scared, "Please, don't hurt my children…."

"It's too late, Bitch," Ami hissed, "You talked me into this. I know I've gotta get rid of them too…"

"Please," she said, bending over, "Please…"

"What are you doing?"

"You can't…" Gabriela said, collapsing into the desk chair, "You can't kill them…" Carefully hiding the letter opener, she wrapped her arms around herself and began to rock. "Please…"

"What the hell?" Ami spat, "Stand up…stop it!"

But Gabriela didn't, she kept rocking, her head down, her hair falling in front of her face. She prayed that Ami couldn't see through her hair and know she was watching her.

"I said, stand up!" Ami commanded, taking a step towards her. "I could just shoot you like that…"

"Please…." She croaked, watching as Ami stepped even closer.

"Damn it!" Ami said, reaching out and grabbing her left arm. "Stand up!" She yanked her up out of the chair.

As she did, Gabriela thrust her right hand out, driving the letter opener into Ami's side.

XXXXX

"Drive up slowly and quietly," Hotch said into his cell phone, "If anyone's there, we don't want to spook them."

"We're right behind you," Prentiss replied.

As he parked the SUV in the driveway, Hotch noticed the garage door was closed. "Silvana's home," he noted. "The garage door would be open if she wasn't."

"We go in through the side door to the garage," Rossi decided, as Morgan parked his SUV next to Hotch's. "The sound of the garage door opening will tip off anyone inside."

"Agreed," Hotch said, getting out of the car and running around to the side of the garage. With his gun held firmly in one hand, he unlocked the door with the other and slowly swung it open. Walking in, he listened carefully and could hear the muffled sounds of Olivia crying.

"Do you hear that?" Rossi asked, standing next to him.

"That's Liv," he said, nodding at the laundry room, "And it's coming from the laundry room."

He walked over and carefully opened the door, as he pushed it open he felt a sharp pain connect with his calf.

"AJ!" Silvana's voice cautioned.

"Daddy?" AJ asked, looking up at his father and dropping his waffle ball bat. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, Sport," Hotch dismissed, giving his son a hug. "You were trying to protect your grandma and your sister."

"Daddy!" Olivia cried, hopping from Silvana's arms and running to his.

"Aaron," Silvana began, as the team ushered them from the room. "That woman from your work…Ami… she came in with a gun. She locked us in here…"

"What did she say?" he asked, giving Olivia a kiss and handing her to Reid. "Go with Spencer, Liv…"

"I want you, Daddy…"

"Come on, Olivia," Reid said, "I'll do some magic for you…" he looked down at AJ, who still stood in the same spot, "Come on, AJ…let's go show Olivia and your Grandmom that pencil trick I taught you."

"I should help Dad," AJ said, standing straight, his expression grave.

"You know what, Sport?" Hotch said, "You can help me best by going with them…"

"Okay…" he frowned, allowing Reid to quickly lead him out of the garage.

Hotch turned his attention to Silvana, "What did she say?"

"She said she had some business to take care of with Gabriela," Silvana said, "Then she told us if we all stayed quiet, we'd be fine. She took my cell phone and locked us into the laundry room."

She looked at her son in law, "That woman had crazy eyes, Aaron."

He allowed his eyes to connect with hers for a moment, willing her to stay strong. "We'll take care of it, Silvana. Can you go out with Reid and make sure the children are okay?"

She nodded.

He gave her a smile, "We'll be out in a minute or two…"

"Come on Mrs. Girardi," Prentiss gently said, taking Silvana's arm and leading her from the garage.

"Ami Walters," Rossi said, shaking his head, "What would make her do this?"

"We'll ask her when we get in there," Hotch said, opening the door to the house.

"Hotch…" Rossi cautioned.

Hotch opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a gun shot rang out from inside the house.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/n: Thank you all for hanging in there with me while I finished this! I'm sorry that real life has dragged this on longer than I intended and hope you like this ending! Thanks again - LG**

"You bitch!" Ami roared, grabbing for the letter opener, as blood began to drip from the wound in her side.

"Go to Hell," Gabriela said, grabbing the gun with her right hand and Ami's hand with her left. "You're not taking my family."

"They're mine!" Ami went on, giving up on the letter opener and reaching for the gun.

"No. They. Aren't," Gabriela said, raising her leg and kicking the letter opener, driving it deeper into Ami's side.

Ami shrieked in pain, forgetting for a moment about the gun, and in that moment, Gabriela wrestled it from her hands.

Gabriela held the gun, willing her mind to remember all Aaron had told her about firing the weapon and willing her hands to stop shaking.

"You're killing me!" Ami went on, "Get this thing out of me…"

"No," Gabriela firmly said, "I will not. I'll call 9-1-1…we'll let the police take it out."

"Police?" Ami hissed, looking up at her, "You'll be the one going to jail…you stabbed me. You're holding a gun on me; all I did was come for folders…"

"Carrying this gun?"

"I'm licensed to carry, I'm in the FBI," Ami shrugged, her skin paling as she lost more blood.

"You need to let me call 9-1-1…" Gabriela said, her medical training taking over. "You're going to go into shock."

"If you kill me…you go to jail…"

"I'm not going to go to jail," she returned, "And you're not going to die." She held the gun with one hand and reached across the desk to the cordless phone. As she did, Ami rushed her.

As the younger woman charged her, Gabriela's finger squeezed the trigger.

XXXXX

Hotch made his way quickly through the first floor, stopping when he reached the foyer and the stair case. He turned to look at Rossi and motioned that he was going up the stairs.

Rossi nodded, and with Morgan a step behind, followed Hotch up the stairs.

As Hotch crested the stairs, he could hear the sounds of heavy breathing coming from the office. Slowly, carefully, he made his way to the doorway. His body tensed as he quietly called, "Gabi?"

"In here," she said, causing relief to course through his body.

He turned and walked into the doorway to find Gabriela leaning over Ami's body, administering CPR; both women were covered in blood.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I shot her," Gabriela said, feeling for her pulse. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I killed her."

Hotch knelt and studied Ami while he felt for her nonexistent pulse. Gabriela had shot her square in the chest and she apparently bled out. Upon further study, he saw a letter opener embedded in her side.

"The kids? Mom?" Gabriela asked, looking down at the blood on her hands and clothing.

"They're fine," he assured her, helping her to stand, "What about you?"

"Hotch?" Rossi said.

"In here," he called, "Ami's dead."

Rossi and Morgan walked into the room,

"Gabi, you okay?" Rossi asked.

"Physically," she replied, looking at Hotch with wide eyes. "I don't want the kids to see me like this…"

"They're with Reid and Prentiss," Morgan said, "VAPD is just arriving. Once they photograph you…"

"I can shower, I know," she nodded, sitting down hard in the desk chair.

"What happened?" Hotch asked, kneeling next to her.

"Mom went to get the kids and I fell asleep on the sofa. I woke up to find Ami standing there. She said she came get folders for you…and that's when I remembered…" she looked at Ami, eyes narrowed, "She pushed me down the stairs."

"She did?" Rossi asked, looking up. "Why?"

"Apparently, she wanted my life," she explained, "Or parts of it anyway. She wanted my husband, my house….but not my children. She was going to go down and kill the kids after she killed me. I couldn't let that happen."

Morgan's cell phone rang, flipping it open on the second ring, he answered, "Yeah? Okay…send them upstairs." He flipped the phone shut. "VAPD is here. Hang on a little more, Gabriela. Then this will be all over and you can get back to your life."

"I hope so…" she sighed, wondering if they could just "get back to their life".

XXXXX

Aaron Hotchner sat at his desk, reviewing case files. He hated the paperwork, but it was a necessary evil. Looking up from the folder he held, his eyes settled on a framed picture on his desk.

He smiled, studying the shot of Gabriela, Silvana, Jack, AJ, and Olivia standing in the empty living room of their new house. They were smiling, happy and all five of them looked relaxed. It was the first time in months that they'd looked that way and he was grateful that he captured it on film.

They'd moved out of the old house barely a month after Gabriela had shot Ami. Between Olivia's nightmares, AJ's hyper vigilance, and Gabriela's insomnia, he knew they couldn't stay. Despite the professional cleaning crew that came in and the fact that Rossi, Morgan and Garcia spent a weekend stripping and remodeling their office, Ami's presence had ruined the sanctity of their home.

While they searched for a new place and tried to get back into their lives, they moved into a furnished rental townhome for another month before making settlement on a six bedroom home in Woodbridge complete with a pool and a three car garage.

The entire team showed up on moving day, helping them get settled, then staying into the wee hours for pizza and beer. With Jack, AJ, Olivia and Silvana all settled in their new rooms, he and Gabi made their way to the master bedroom, where, for the first time since before the shooting, they'd made love and she'd fallen asleep wrapped in his arms, sleeping through the night.

Now, six months later, life, it seemed, had fallen back into some sort of peaceful routine. Nightmares subsided, new routines developed, and the future looked bright. His eyes traveled to another new picture on his desk. He smiled, looking at the black and white ultrasound picture of his daughter to be, who was due to arrive in four months.

Yes, he thought, the future certainly did look bright. With a chuckle to himself, he returned his attention to the paperwork in front of him.


End file.
